A very thorough and clear account on how privatization is destroying the concept of public good. It gives very clear examples on how public goods have been decreased since the 1980s and it has become normalized. One big thing I was surprised/not surprised about was a small park with Obama’s name on ...more
The title really is the message with this one: everything has been privatized and this book will name all of them! Frightening at many times, this book reminds that collaboration and community are not only moral but also consistently work better. Parts of this are infuriating and heartbreaking, it i ...more
Nice examples that question the overall benefit of privatization of public goods. However, the final part, which should have been punchier as to how to fight privatization felt weak. Wish there had been more concrete next steps. ...more
This accessible book has ample examples and evidence showing that our country has essentially abandoned the idea that governments should work for the common good in favor of looking to the free market and privatization to run all sorts of services that could be done better and cheaper by a well-run ...more
An important recount on how privatization impacts public goods in America. An eye-opening read on how much of American innovations are dependent on public research, knowledge and funding. This book investigates what considerations are necessary for what should be deemed a public good and examine the ...more
An incisive and thorough examination of the greed behind privatization and the devastation it produces, as well as a roadmap for redefining public goods and transforming society according to shared values and priorities, not mortgaging our futures to profit-driven corporations. ...more
This much needed book highlights the structural problems of privatization and details all the various products and services our government has privatized, finishing with six brief steps to halt privatization efforts and bring back this work that should be done by the government. The significant port ...more
3.5 stars. Compelling arguments for maintenance of public goods by the public as we tend to lose out when services are privatized. With that said, the arguments were very one-sided, and based on stories of privatization’s failings in specific circumstances. That bias should be obvious from the subti ...more
I thoroughly enjoyed this book—although I did have to take several breaks to meditate on the content presented because a lot of it was angering, saddening, and downright discouraging at points.
While privatization in and of itself isn’t a bad thing, it was extremely insightful to read about how too ...more
Cohen looks at all the things from the little to the big that governments have privatized to the detriment of their citizens from parking meters to education systems. He presents a good argument with lots of examples about how privatization can sound appealing but almost always ends of being worse f ...more
I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway. The main point of Donald Cohen's book is that the decades-long trend of privatizing public services in the U.S. has been a disaster for the average citizen. The author includes numerous examples of private businesses making extraordinary profits by overc ...more
This is the most important book I’ve read in the last decade. Given the direction of our country and the number of politicians in bed with corporations, we must wake up and recognize that a strong government that protects the interests of the collective ci ...more