I s sue No . 3 , Vo l . No . 2Rs

. 45EDucate!

A Quarterly on Education & Development

Ashfaq AhmedAn Interview with

Page 21

Corporatizing Education

Corporatizing The World

Said’s importance lies finally and mainly in the range and powerof the questions he has raised, rather than in his own answersto those questions. He therefore almost invites us to refer backto the closing lines of Beginnings, written almost three decadesago:

“In the course of studying for and writing this book, I haveopened, I think, possibilities for myself (and hopefully forothers) of further problematics to be explored...These are studiesto which I hope our moral will shall be equal – if in part thisbeginning has fulfilled its purpose.”

Edward Said’s death removes hope that he could fully pursuethe many possibilities that his work opens up; but whoever nowdoes pursue them, the honour of the beginning, of the firstd i s c o v e r i e s a n d o f t h e m o r a l e x a m p l e , w i l l b e h i s .

Stephen Howe

Edward Said abhorred fans, schools of thought, disciples. Hehad little patience with the younger generations who merelyfollowed and copied their masters. He made fun of granttheories and the armies of theoreticians fighting over thedetails…If at this point he were to demand something of us -he who demanded nothing more than he demanded of himself- he would insist that we look forward, that we fight for whatis just in the world using our own autonomous capacities, lovinglife on earth and not wasting our time with metaphysicalinanities, knowing that in history, with human capacity itselfand nothing else, the improbable becomes probable, theimpossible becomes possible.

Stathis Gourgouris

www.edwardsaid.org

REMEMBERING

1935-2003“Remember the solidarityshown to Palestine here andeverywhere... and rememberalso that there is a cause towhich many people havec o m m i t t e d t h e m s e l v e s ,d i f f i c u l t i e s a n d t e r r i b l eobstacles notwithstanding.Why? Because it is a justcause, a noble ideal, a moralquest for equality and humanrights.”

“I urge everyone to join inand not leave the field ofv a l u e s , d e f i n i t i o n s , a n dcultures uncontested. They arecertainly not the property ofa few Washington officials,any more than they are theresponsibility of a few MiddleEastern rulers. There is ac o m m o n f i e l d o f h u m a nundertaking being created andrecreated, and no amount ofimperial bluster can everconceal or negate that fact.”

EDWARD SAID

Page 21

Commodification of Education 29DR. SHAHID SIDDIQUI

Commercialism 101: 32An Introduction to the Corporatization of EducationTRACY THOMPSON KHAN

Rethinking Education

Page 8

C o v e r S t o r y

Books for a Better World

Bringing the Food Economy Home 26

How ‘They’ Run the World 27

Societal Learning

But Can’t TechnologySolve the Problems? 35TED TRAINER

Rethinking Development

Noam Chomsky: 39Perspectives on Corporate Power& Communications TechnologyANNA COUEY AND JOSHUA KARLINER

Rethinking Media & Technology

EDITED & COMPILEDBY MASHHOOD RIZVI & AMBREENA AHMED

Websites for a Better Worldwww.corpwatch.orgHolding Corporations Accountable 28

Societal Learning

when

rulethe world

CORPORATIONS

is there a way out then?

ASHFAQ AHMEDBy Aziz Kabani & Somaiya Ayoob

An Interview for EDucate!

Education Incorporated? 43HENRY GIROUX

Critical Educators

I s sue No . 3 , Vo l . No . 2

Rs. 4

5EDucate!A Quarterly on Education & Development

Ashfaq AhmedAn Interview with

Page 21

Corporatizing Education

Corporatizing The World

U R on!

This pioneering magazine has been created to challenge ethically,morally and intellectually the inequalities in the existing

paradigms of education and development in order to liberatepeople’s thoughts and actions.

CHAIRPERSONProf. Anita Ghulam Ali

EDITOR–IN–CHIEFMashhood Rizvi

EDITORAmbreena Ahmed

ASSISTANT EDITORAziz Kabani

CONTRIBUTORSDr. Shahid Siddiqui, Tracy Thompson Khan,

Ted Trainer, Henry Giroux, Anna Coueyand Joshua Karliner

EDITORIAL ASSISTANCEShakeel Ahmed, Umme Salma

PROOF READINGFatima Zaidi

DESIGNERZulfiqar Ali Zulfi

ILLUSTRATION/PHOTO CREDITMuhammad Waseem

CORRESPONDENCE MANAGERSomaiya Ayoob

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We welcome your questions, suggestions, support and contributions.Letters to the editor should not exceed 500 words. Essays and articlesshould not exceed more than 3000 words. Previously published articlesand essays should be supported with references and permissions toreprint. The editor reserves the right to edit submissions prior topublication.

C O N T R I B U T I O N S

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OPEN LETTERS 4

EDITOR’S NOTE 7

WAKEUP CALLSINSPIRATIONS & REFLECTIONS 20

VOICE OF THE VOICELESS 47

Regular Features MISSION STATEMENT

have a few comments about your magazine.Although, I think it’s a very good effort

and there needs to be a magazine abouteducation, I feel that the magazine focuses tooheavily on theory and the politics of education.It does not do enough to highlight the actualscene in Pakistan.

Teachers in Pakistan would benefit from seeingexamples of good teaching practices being putto use in our country’s school rooms. I wouldlike to see more articles about teachers andeducators in Pakistan, as opposed to articles byforeign educators and intellectuals which, inthemselves though are interesting, don’t haveas much relevance to our local scene. I also

find them hard to read and understand and Ithink most teachers and educators in Pakistanwould appreciate simpler, more newsy typea r t i c l e s i n a n e a s i e r t o r e a d f o r m a t .

The magazine is fine as an example of thelatest theories and research work that’s beingconducted in the West, but I think there is somuch jargon involved that it doesn’t make foreasy reading. I’d like to see many more articles

CRITIQUEfrom a Reader

INSPIRATION FOR EDUCATORSEDucate! has always been a great source ofinspiration for me as I, myself, am related to thefield of educating children. I just wanted to drawyour attention to the content and language used inthe magazine. I find it a bit difficult for the peoplearound me to understand. It would be a great efforton your part if your team can simplify the languageso that it can be read and understood by a wideraudience. I wish you the very best of luck .

Nudrat Shahab Chaudry, Lahore

INSIGHTFUL PERSPECTIVESThe issue of EDucate! is in your usual tradition ofproviding us with insights which are either notavailable or have been censored out. I confess thatif I make any insightful remark or show anyawareness of what is going on in the world ofeducation then EDucate! has a lot to do with it.Keep it up!

Dr. Tariq Rahman, Quaid-e-Azam University,Islamabad

VALUABLE SERVICE TO PEOPLEEDucate! provides an enormously valuable service tothe people of Pakistan. The growth of civil societyneeds encouragement and visibility. EDucate! is apart of that important effort. I particularly appreciatethe Voice of the Voiceless section. The TariqRahman interview is excellent.

David Barsamian, “ace interviewer”, Director,Alternative Radio/Boulder, Colorado, USA

EXAMININIG EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMSThe sixth issue of EDucate! examines very significanteducat iona l prob lems in a s t imulat ing way.

Robert Arnove, emeritus professor, Sociology ofEducation, School of Education, Indiana University,

Bloomington, USA

COMMENDATIONSOnce again an excellent issue. Keep up the excellenta n d i m p o r t a n t w o r k E D u c a t e ! i s d o i n g !

Dave Hill, Professor of Education Policy, UniversityCollege Northampton, UK

The issue looks excellent. All best wishes in thesedark times.Joshua Cohen, Professor of Political Science, MIT,

USA

The latest issue of Educate! looks very good.Prof. Michael Apple, USA

It is excellent.Robert McChesney, Institute of Communications

Research, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,USA

Congratulations on the new issue. These are indeeddifficult times.

David C. Korten, author of the famous “WhenCorporations Rule the World” & “The Post Corporate

World”

4

OPEN letters

I

think she feels that the magazine is abouteducation in Pakistan alone. I see it as a

magazine about educational theory. Why thisis important is because there is no publicationof a theoretical nature in Pakistan in this field.There are several on schools and what happensthere. Teachers themselves find little time towrite and this kind of work is done byacademics in universities because they havemore time, more money and more autonomy.What you could do is to encourage at leastone article on the educational scene in thecountry but do not bring down your highstandards in the name of putting in morepeople who are actually teaching. If they comeup to your standards they are welcome, ofcourse. But if they do not, they should be surethat what they are doing (actual teachingchildren) is possibly even more important thanresearch. That they are not published does notmean that they are inferior teachers. Thebottom line is DO NOT lower the standard ofthe magazine and provide us with knowledgeof what is going on in the theory of education.Maybe you can put in some articles by rightwing theoreticians also but do not dilute thequality.

Tariq RahmanI see her point about there being too manyarticles that feel distanced from the Pakistanicontext. I think one way to respond is to tryto build in the links to Pakistan issues andrealities, with each article that raises new ideas;explicitly connect it to Pakistani concerns andmaybe include some questions/exercises forpeople to discuss and work on, so that it feels

more interactive and tied to them. However,it sounds like she has a fundamentally differentidea for what EDucate! should be about. Ithink she wants it to be like a teacher trainingor school reform magazine, which gives bestpractices and tells about new experiments inschools; something light to inform and inspireteachers.

Yet, I think EDucate! is aspiring to somethingquite different, that is, to challenge teachers,parents, policymakers, practitioners, etc. to thinkqu i t e d i f f e r en t l y about educa t i on anddevelopment. It is serious and thought-provoking, and it wants us to ask questionsabout our assumptions and beliefs. It is not‘socialist’, as she suggests. That would be mis-labeling of its purpose and ideological stance.Rather, it is expressly bringing out the politicaland economic context of education, which isall around us, yet rarely discussed explicitly.That context is vital for getting us out of thetrap of looking at education as something onlyin a schoo l o r on ly w i th teacher s andadministrators. It broadens and deepens ourunderstanding about learning and living, bothtoday and for the future.

But I agree that EDucate! needs to make morel i n k s t o p r a c t i c e , s o t h a t t h e s e i d e a sfeel grounded in context for people. Forexample, the issue on media had some good

5

about the state of Pakistani educat ion,interviews with educators and teachers inPakistan, windows on innovative educationalprograms in both urban and rural areas andwrite-ups from teachers themselves about theirideas, experiences and concerns from theMontessori to the university level.

The magazine also needs more photography anda r t w o r k t o m a ke i t v i s u a l l y p l e a s i n g .

Finally, I do feel that the magazine has adefinite political agenda which leans towardsthe socialist side. Is this really desirable in a

publication which is ostensibly about education?I think the magazine would be better servedand would have a wider appeal if politics wereleft out of the content for the most part. Themessage of what you are promoting is notcrystal clear – is it education and teaching, oris it socialist ideas in the world of education?This is an important distinction to make andI think your vision needs some redefining inthat way.

I hope you find this useful.

Bina Shah.

OPEN L E T T E R S

REFLECTIONSon the Critique

I

essays to spark thoughts and ideas. But whatwould have enhanced it is adding somestories/examples/exercises on how to take thiscritical media awareness and bring it out inyour family or organization or school orneighborhood, or some questions to get peopleimag in ing and c rea t ing new prac t i ce s .

Hope this helps in your process of evaluation...

Shilpa JainAs far as Bina Shah’s critique goes, I agreewith the idea that it would behoove Pakistanireaders to address topics of local import inmore quantity and detail.

As for her idea that the magazine should riditself of its socialist bent, I strongly disagree.A person’s ideology is the driving force behindhis opinions about the goals, methods, andstructures of education. If the purpose of themagazine is, as it appears to be, to present anethical, progressive view of education, thenthat’s what it should do.

Tracy Thompson KhanI have read Bina Shah’s comments on yourmagazine and found them interesting. I agreewith some of her comments but not others. Ido think that some contributions from teachers,practitioners and even students themselvesabout the i r exper iences would prov ideinteresting insights into what is really happeningin our schools and colleges. These could beanalyzed by researchers for their own study. Ialso agree with the relevance issue to someextent because analyses of Pakistan’s educationalsystem would throw light on what it is thatwe are teaching our children and what is itthat we are doing to them. However, forcompar i son purposes some matter f romneighboring countries would help placeeducation in a regional perspective and providecross-cultural insights. However, I do not agreewith Bina’s comments as regards theory andpolitics of education. I think there is a severedearth of educational theorizing in Pakistan andwe desperately need to provide the disciplinewith a theoretical basis and insight which arecritical. There is no neutral social science andthere is always a vantage point from which oneexamines social phenomena. If EDucate! has a

We welcome your comments, critiqueand suggestions.

Fax: 92-21-9251652E-mail: educate@sef.org.pk

Mail: Plot 9, Block 7, Kehkashan, Clifton5, Karachi – 75600, Pakistan

Include your full name, address, e-mail, anddaytime phone number. We may edit lettersfor brevity and clarity, and use them in all

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6

socialist leaning there is absolutely nothingwrong with that and this may even add to itscredibility and standing. Most magazines fail totake any position and end up by default beingliberal. I appreciate EDucate! for its socialistposition. I also appreciate the fact that it isprinting articles and papers by famous criticaltheorists of education such as Henry Girouxand Michael Apple as their contributions tothe field are highly valuable for understandingthe project of education as a political project.In my view all knowledge is political andcannot be separated from the social relationsof society. It does not exist ‘out there’.

Therefore, I don’t agree with Bina’s commentsthat education and politics are two mutuallyexclusive domains – on the contrary, educationis a political project through and through. Ithas been traditionally a conservative disciplineby i t s very nature to t ransmit ex i s t ingk n o w l e d g e t o c h i l d r e n , b u t i t c a n b etransformative and critical if educators so desire.So, congratulations upon bringing out amagazine that has a c lear pol i t ical andideological stand and is critical in its approach.There is no other magazine that shares thesequalities. Most educational magazines end upbeing mere experience sharing, superficial anddevoid of any thought provoking ideas. So keepup the good work and yes, if possible, do addcritical stuff on Pakistani educational systems.I support this effort totally and find it veryhelpful to have such a magazine available. Iwill be using it for a paper that I am writingon Pakistan's state of education and will citeit as the only example of critical theorizing inPakistan.

Rubina Saigol

orporations! What are they? Who runs them? Why do corporations exist? What are theimpacts of corporatization on the world’s people and resources? What is the corporate-government connection? Have corporations improved our lives and strengthened our

societies OR will we be better off without them? Is there an alternative to corporate power andgreed?

This issue of EDucate! aims to discuss that how the modern corporation has come to dominatepractically every aspect of modern society, including the state, the educational system, the media,and the family. Our everyday lives have become increasingly “colonized,” we argue, by a managerialethos that is fundamentally at odds with our core democratic principles. While modern corporationsoffer opportunity and financial well-being, their unmediated, distorted growth has considerableecological and human costs.

To examine how corporations work and what are the implications of the corporate strangleholdon the developing countries especially in economic and social terms, we have designed ourmagazine’s content around the themes of ‘corporatization’ and ‘corporatization of education’. Webelieve that it is absolutely essential to be exposed to David C. Korten’s work if anybody wantsto understand how the corporations function and have evolved into controlling and oppressivesocietal systems. The coverstory presents the crux of his work (or perhaps not because it’s trulydifficult to summarize the extent and depth of his powerful analysis) on corporations and viablealternatives to corporate hegemony. Even though Korten’s work has been featured time and againin EDucate! – an elaborate introduction is also included.

We also proudly present an interview with Ashfaq Ahmed, a great person and writer who needsno introduction. All those familiar with Urdu literature and Urdu plays know him well and knowhow inspirational he is. We hope we have done justice to make his interview inspirational foryou all. “Voice of the Voiceless”, the most popular section of the magazine, takes views fromthat ‘voicless’ segment of the society, which although is not deprived of life’s amenities, but findsscant openings to let their views known. We asked both students and professionals (of commercialand social sector) to voice their opinions about whether corporate philanthropy is a genuineeffort on part of the corporations or does it act as a shield to ‘legitimize’ their wrongs?

‘Rethinking Education’ features a range of perspectives on how education is turning into acommodity and how the corporations are making their way into our schools and other educationalinstitutions, inducing consumerism rather than consciousness amongst the students. In the end,we are grateful to Shikshantar Institute, India for always actively participating in EDucate! andintroducing us to powerful thoughts, ideas, essays and above all many intellectual resources.

Ambreena Ahmed

Editor’sNoteC

7

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Is a socially just world a realpossibility or an illusion? What rolethe corporations are playing in our

society today? Do we want to becitizens of a society that is driven bycorporate greed and consumerism?

Can we do something about it?

EDITED & COMPILED BY MASHHOOD RIZVI & AMBREENA AHMED

COVER STORY

Dr. David C. Korten,world’s leading critic and analyston the impact of big corporationsand corporate lead globalizationtalks to EDucate!

He says that by law andstructure, the publicly traded,limited liability corporation is asingle purpose organization in thebusiness of making money formoney without regard to theconsequences for people,communities, or nature. Thepublicly traded corporation andits employees are legally obligatedto serve money to the disregardof life. It is not only incapableof acting with conscience, it islegally prohibited from doing so.

He comments, “human personswho behave in a similarly self-centered and destructive waydevoid of conscience are calledpsychopaths and are commonlydeprived of their freedom asthreats to society and confinedto prisons or mental institutions”.

He concludes, “yet in the suicideeconomy, corporate psychopathsare regularly rewarded with risingshare prices and their CEOs arerewarded with multi-million dollarbonuses. Corporate officerssuspected of sacrificing shareprice to acts of conscience outof concern for workers,community, or the environmentface a serious threat ofdismissal”.

when

rulethe world

CORPORATIONS

?is there away outthen?

What is a corporation? Who runs it? What are transnationals and multinationals; are theysynonymous to corporations? Why do corporations exist? What are the impacts of corporatizationon the world’s people and resources? What is the corporate-government connection? What isprivatization; is it good or bad? Have corporations improved our lives and strengthened our societiesOR will we be better off without them? Is consumerism environmentally friendly; is it the answerto happy living? Is there an alternative to corporate power?

In our cover story, we try to answer some critical questions regarding corporations and their far reachingimpacts in the light of Dr. David C. Korten’s remarkable work on corporations, especially his two mostpopular books “When Corporations Rule the World” and its sequel “The Post-Corporate World”. Dr. Korten,in addition to being the author of international bestsellers, is the co-founder and board chair of the PositiveFutures Network and founder and president of the People-Centered Development Forum. His work, in thewords of his critics “continues to be at the very center of this expanding global dialogue” and “is creatingan intellectual framework for dealing with the issues of the entry of humankind into the 21st century”. Hehas had a leading role in raising public consciousness of the political and institutional consequences ofcorporate driven globalization and the expansion of corporate power at the expense of democracy, equity,and environmental health. Radical as such ideas may seem in the present context, Korten shows how theyare already being put into practice by ordinary people around the world as they respond to capitalism'sdeadly blows to their lives, communities, and natural environments.

We, at EDucate! have been privileged to have David Korten on our panel of contributors and we havepublished many of his articles in our previous issues. As part of our cover story we asked our colleagues atthe Sindh Education Foundation to forward their queries regarding corporations and put those forward toMr. Korten. He, despite his very busy schedual, responded immediately. We hope that Korten’s interviewwith the SEF and EDucate! will be a mindshifting one for you!

Can you please explain from a layman’s perspective the'plundering mechanisms of MNCs and corporations? Manypeople have no idea as to how the system functions? Forexample most of us do not understand that how IBM orToyota in Pakistan can be harmful when it is giving jobsto many and also once people have jobs they spend andspend locally?

First let’s correct our terminology. You refer to MultinationalCorporations, a term that technically refers to a corporationthat is local everywhere, a good local citizen in every countryin which does business. It is part of the public relationsimage. The reality is we are dealing with global ortransnational corporations, which means corporations thatdo not recognize any national or local interest or obligation.

The details of the mechanisms of corporate plunder arespelled out in my book When Corporations Rule the World.The publicly traded, limited liability corporation is theinstitutional centerpiece of a global suicide economy thatis rapidly destroying the foundation of its own existence andthreatening the survival of the human species. Visit theheadquarters of a publicly traded corporation and you seepeople, buildings, furnishings, and office equipment. By allappearances the people are running things. An organizationchart will show clear lines of authority leading to a CEOwho in turn reports to a board of directors. It is easy to think

of a corporation as a community of people. It is, however, amisleading characterization precisely because in a publiclytraded corporation the people, including the CEO, are allemployees of the institution — paid to serve the institutionat its pleasure and required by law to leave their values atthe door.

The publicly traded, limited liability corporation is in thelegal sense not a human institution. It is a pool of money,dedicated to the sole vocation of making money, on whicha corrupted legal system has bestowed special legal privilegesand protections not granted to real living persons. Thepeople, including the CEO, can be dismissed at any moment,virtually without recourse. Employees must be willing toleave their values at the door if they hope to rise throughthe ranks of a global corporation. In effect management ishired by money to nurture money’s growth and reproductioneven at the expense of life. Only the money, which thecorporate officers are legally bound to serve, has rights. Intheir advertisements and public statements corporationsprofess their commitment to people and nature. It is pureimage. Read the business press, like the Wall Street Journalor the Economist magazine, and you get the real story ofthe push for ever greater profits and CEO compensation atall costs — especially in the reports on corporate crime.

Also be aware that many of these companies were gettingawards for social and environmental responsibility and wereincluded in socially responsible investment portfolios right

10 COVER S T O R Y

What is a Corporation?Transnational corporations are one of the mostimportant actors in the global economy,occupying a more powerful position than everbefore. Fifty years ago, only a handful existed.Now they number tens of thousands, andhave a profound political, economic, social andcultural impact on countries, peoples andenvironments. Defined by the United Nationsas ‘an enterprise with activities in two or morecountries with an ability to influence others’,TNCs produce a vast range of goods andservices for international trade, and often forthe domestic markets where they operate.Sometimes called multinational corporations,they operate across national boundaries in acontext of nation states. Their power is hugeand often underestimated, as also is theirimpact on the poor.1

Another perspective, a literal definition ofcorporations hold: “Specifically, a

up to the time their fraudulent practices were exposed.Make no mistake. Global corporations are in Pakistan forone reason — to extract as much wealth as possible asquickly as possible and move on to another country as soonas a better opportunity presents itself. In the meantime theywill buy politicians and government officials to get exceptionsfrom taxes, labor standards, and environmental regulations.They will strongly resist unionization by whatever meansand seek to keep wages and benefits low. Some corporationsare a bit less ruthless than others, but they are all in thesame business.

Some may say it is different in Pakistan. I’m not current onthe Pakistan experience, but this is the record pretty muchall around the world and I doubt it is particularly differentin Pakistan. It is starkly true in the United States. If one hasany illusions that those who head the largest corporationsare committed to high standards of ethics and public serviceone needs only read the financial pages of the internationalpress will set them straight. and follow the continuing waveof financial scandals that first came to attention with thecollapse of Enron.

Powerful though global corporations may be, the ultimatedecision power in the suicide economy resides in the globalfinancial markets — institutions for which the only reality ismoney. Each day global financial markets exchange trillionsof dollars of electronic money that exists only in computermemories as traders who act with a herd mentality place their

bets on the price movements of various financial instruments.

In a mere instant the actions of the money traders may makeor break the fortunes of individuals, giant corporations, andpowerful nations. The computer screens of the traders,however, tell them nothing of the consequences either fornature or for the millions — even billions — of people whoselives their decisions affect. The traders and their world areequally invisible to the ordinary people who bear theconsequences of these decisions. It is an evil of the highestorder. Those who make the decisions have no knowledgeof the consequences of their actions and those who bear theconsequences cannot identify and confront oppressor thatremains invisible and therefore unknown. It is a systemdesigned not to self-correct.

This perverse system is inexorably transferring wealth andpower from the many to the few, creating an unconscionableand growing concentration of wealth and power thatencourages wasteful extravagance on the part of the fewwhile imposing deprivation and servitude on billions andaccelerating the depletion of natural wealth it took ourliving planet billions of years to produce. Either of thesetrends will seal the human fate if allowed to continue.

What is your analysis of institutions like the IMF and WTO? Do youthink that these are mere extentions of MNCs or vice-versa?

Interesting correlation! Let's look at the global public

11COVER S T O R Y

corporation is a legal artificialp e r s o n , a p e r s o n t h a t i sseparate, distinct and apartf rom you. I t i s a d is t inc t ,different and totally separatelegal or artificial person. Adistinct legal entity.

As an ar t i f i c ia l person, acorporation's rights, duties andliabilities do not differ fromthose of a natural personunder similar conditions, exceptwhere the exercise of dutywould require the ability tocomprehend, or think. That'swhere the Board of Directorscomes in. They do the thinkingf o r t h e c o r p o r a t i o n . Acorporation can buy, trade, selland make loans. A corporationcan literally do anything youas a person can do as longas these thoughts and actionsare s imply documented byresolution. When you think it

t h rough , t he pos s ib i l i t i e sbecome fascinating. The keypoint to remember here, ist h a t w h e n y o u o w n acorporation, the corporationexists as a separate entity orperson.”2

Korten onCorporations

On the question of rights ofcorporations as an individual,Korten asserts that humanrights secure our freedom tolive fully and responsibly withinl i fe ’ s communi ty. We, aref ind ing, however, tha t ascorporat ions have becomeinc reas ing l y success fu l inclaiming these same rights forthemselves, they have becomeincreasingly assertive in denyingthem to l iving people. Forexample, they use property

rights as an instrument to denythe economically weak themost fundamental of all humanrights – the right to live – bydenying them the r ight ofaccess to a means of living.S u p p o r t e d b y l e g i o n s o fc o r p o r a t e l a w y e r s a n dsympathetic judges, corporationshave worked th rough thecourts to acquire ever more ofthe rights and freedoms thatl iving persons gained onlythrough long and di f f icul tpolitical struggle. They have int u r n u s e d t h e r i g h t s s oacquired to extend their controlo v e r t h e i n s t i t u t i o n s o fdemocracy and the material,communications and knowledgeresources on which peopledepend to secure their living.There seems to be an ironcladrelationship. The stronger therights of corporations, theweaker the rights of persons to

institutions that are shaping global and national economicpolicies. We presently live under two competing system ofglobal governance: The Bretton Woods institutions and theUnited Nations. The former is primarily aligned with thecorporate interest and the latter is primarily aligned with thehuman and natural interest.

The Bretton Woods institutions — the World Bank, theInternational Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World TradeOrganization (WTO), previously the General Agreement onTariffs and Trade (GATT) — are major institutional playersin rewriting the rules of the global economy to circumventdemocracy to rewrite the economic rules to favor theconcentration of wealth and power.

All three claim to be dedicated to the cause of the poor andthe disadvantaged. But look at their policies and actions andyou find the World Bank, the IMF, and the WTO considerthe ideal country to be one in which all assets and resourcesare owned by foreign corporations producing for export togenerate foreign exchange to repay international debts. Theirfavored country has no public services. Power, water, education,health care, social security, and financial services are all ownedand operated by foreign corporations for profit on a fee forservice basis. Food and other goods for domestic consumptionare all imported from abroad and paid for with moneyborrowed from foreign banks.

This is the global corporate agenda for Pakistan as it is forevery other country in the world and it is clearly is not about

meeting the needs of people — least of all the poor. It is aboutconcentrating ever more power in the hands of the globalfinanciers who control the corporations that are increasinglymonopolizing the world’s resources, markets, jobs, information,money, and politics to their own exclusive ends. If they weretruly concerned about the health and well-being of Pakistanand its people they would be helping Pakistanis strengthentheir ownership and control of their own economy withsubstantial priority to living wages, safe working conditions,a strong tax base, and strong environmental regulation.

The real issues behind the resistance against corporateglobalization are issues of justice and democracy — the rightof each person to a voice and a means of living. It is aboutwho will rule the world: people or money?

I have the privilege of being a member of an extraordinaryinternational alliance of civil society leaders from bothSouthern and Northern countries called the InternationalForum on Globalization. We came together to educate theworld on the realities of corporate globalization and toencourage the mobilization of a broad resistance movement.

For the past three years we have been working to define aconsensus among ourselves on an alternative to the corporateglobal economy. Last December we published a report onour conclusions titled Alternatives to Economic Globalization.Initially, the question of whether global rule making should

12 COVER S T O R Y

l i v e f u l l y a n d w e l l w i t hfreedom, responsibility anddignity. Thus, to restore humanrights and dignity we mustestablish clearly the principlethat human rights reside solelyin living persons.

Korten’s Argument

According to Korten, there aretwo worldviews. The first holdsthat corporate globalizationconst i tutes world’s largestcorporations and world’s mostpowerful governments, backedby the power of money. Theobjective is to create a single,borderless global economywhere the mega corporationsare free to move goods andmoney anywhere where there’sa profit opportunity with nogovernment interference. Twomain tools used to attain theseobjectives are privatization of

public services and assets andstrengthening safeguards forinvestors and private property.T h e p r o p o n e n t s o f t h i sw o r l d v i e w b e l i e v e t h a tcorporate globalization is theresu l t o f i r reve r s ib le andinevitable historical forces thatdrive a powerful engine oftechnological innovation ande c o n o m i c g r o w t h t h a t i sstrengthening human freedom,spread ing democracy andcreating the wealth needed toend pover ty and save theenvironment.

T h e s e c o n d w o r l d v i e wadvocates that the forces of an e w l y e m e r g i n g g l o b a lmovement is a culmination ofplanetary citizen alliance of civilsociety organizations. It bringstogether social movements witha common cause , i s se l f -organizing, is dependent largely

on voluntary social energy andis committed to democracy,equity, community and the webo f p l a n e t a r y l i f e . T h eproponents of this vision reckonthat corporate globalization isneither inevitable nor beneficial.It is the product of intentionaldecisions and policies of WTO,I M F, Wo r l d B a n k , g l o b a lcorporations and politicians whodepend on corporate money.Corporate global izat ion ise n r i c h i n g t h e f e w a t t h ee x p e n s e o f m a n y . I t i sreplacing democracy with theru l e b y co rpo ra t i on s andfinancial elites. It is destroyingplanet’s wealth and society tomake money for the alreadywealthy and it is eroding therelationship of trust and caring,w h i c h i s t h e e s s e n t i a lfoundation of a civilized society.

be centralized in global institutions or decentralized to theextent possible to national and local levels was an importantpoint of contention. Those of us from the North tended tofavor a centralization of rule making and standards to setand enforce uniform labor and environmental standards forthe world. Our Southern colleagues noted, however, thatwhen rule making is centralized, the rules are generally madeby the more powerful countries of the North and invariablyfavor their interest. They called instead for an internationalsystem that favors the localization of rule making at nationaland community levels to secure the sovereign political andeconomic rights of people — delegating upward only thosedecisions that cannot realistically be made locally.

This would require a number of actions. Among others itmeans eliminating the institutional form of the publiclytraded, limited liability corporation in favor of human-scaleenterprises locally and democratically owned by engagedstakeholders who are liable for their actions.

A chapter on international institutions calls for dismantlingthe World Bank, the IMF, and the WTO and replacingthem with new institutions under the United Nations withmandates exactly the opposite of the institutions they willreplace. In the place of a World Bank coaxing Southerncountries into ever deeper international debt and dependency,we call for the creation of a UN International InsolvencyCourt responsible for helping countries work their way outof international debt. In the place of an IMF that prohibits

countries from exercising essential oversight over the flowof goods and money across their borders, we call for a UNInternational Finance Organization to help countries putin place mechanisms to maintain balance and stability intheir international financial relationships. Instead of a WorldTrade Organization preventing governments from holdingcorporations accountable to the public interest, we proposea UN Organization for Corporate Accountability to workwith citizens groups and nation states to break upconcentrations of corporate power and hold all corporationswith operations in more than one country to a high standardof public accountability.

A common understanding is that MNCs have hired so many localsand all, MNCs provides so many opportunities at the local level, ifwe were to uproot them, thousands will be job less? How would yourespond to that?

It is true that global corporations have been restructuringour economies everywhere to increase our dependence onthem. The reality, however, is that transnational corporationsprovide only a tiny percentage of the total employmentanywhere in the world and most of the jobs they do provideare low paying and insecure. The minute they can get abetter deal in another country, they are gone. Countriesthat chose to build their economies based on providing lowpaid workers to produce export goods for transnationalcorporations need to keep in mind two things.

13COVER S T O R Y

Korten on the Impact ofCorporate Power

T h e s o c i a l a n d e n v i r o n m e n t a ldisintegration is accelerating in nearlyall countries of the world. Korten arguesthat the only way most corporations canproduce the profits the financial systemcurrently demands is by passing off evergreater costs to the society. We needscarcely look beyond the daily reportsto find examples of the world’s largestco rpo ra t i ons p ro f i t i ng f rom the :g Depletion of natural capital by strip-

mining forests, fisheries and mineraldeposits, aggressively marketing toxicchemicals, and dumping hazardouswastes that turn once-productivelands and waters into zones ofdeath.

g Deplet ion of human capi ta l bymaintaining substandard workingconditions.

g Dep le t ion o f soc ia l cap i ta l bybreaking up unions, bidding down

Obviously suddenly uprooting the global corporations inPakistan and sending them packing would have disastrousconsequences in the short term. The more sensible path isto gradually turn the thrust of policy in the direction offavoring national ownership and the use of national laborand resources to produce things for sale in the Pakistanmarket in response to needs of Pakistani people — graduallyreducing foreign control and dependence.

In this part of the world in particular and in the world at large,MNCs and corporates are adapting a social legetimization strategyby giving huge donations for public and social services? Do you thinkthey mean it or it is simply an extension of ecomonic and socialoppression?

I’m startled by your characterization. If global corporationsare freely and generously donating to the support of publicand social services in Pakistan it would be unique in theworld. In the United States, and to my knowledge prettymuch everywhere else in the world, most global corporationsare putting enormous pressure on governments to reduce oreliminate their taxes to eliminate their contribution to thesupport of essential public goods and services.

The World Bank and IMF are similarly pressing governmentto reduce expenditures on social services and ultimately toprivatize public utilities like water, electricity, andtelecommunications by selling them to global corporations

at give a way prices and allowing them to charge what themarket will bear. Don’t confuse a push to privatize education,water, health care, or prisons with a “donation.” Evencorporate foundations have become increasingly explicit thattheir grants should be carefully targeted to serve the corporatebottom line. Indeed, if they do otherwise they will be subjectto a shareholder revolt or even law suits for “giving away” theshareholder’s money.

In the United States corporations have extracted so manytax concessions from local governments that local governmentshave increasing difficulty funding public schools. Thencorporations step in to "help out" by offering the schoolsmoney in return for exclusive marketing contracts that allowthem to promote and sell Coca Cola and other junk foodsin schools that are desperate for any source of additionalincome. The corporations also step in with “gifts” of teachingmaterials that present a corporate friendly view onenvironmental and economic issues. Most are thinly disguisedcombination of political propaganda and advertising aimedat indoctrination and building brand loyalty.

Is survival of countries and people possible in today's corporate leadworld without any engagement with big corporations/MNCs? If Yes,then how? and If No (or if countries/people opt to invite them) howcan one best safe guard the public interest?

So long as corporations are setting the global economic, social,and environmental agenda the very future of the species is

COVER S T O R Y14

wages, treating workers asexpendable commodities,and uprooting key plants onwhich community economiesare dependent to movethem to lower-cost locations– leaving it to society toa b s o r b t h e f a m i l y a n dcommunity breakdown andviolence that are inevitablec o n s e q u e n c e s o f t h eresulting stress; and

g Depletion of institutionalcapital by undermining thenecessary func t ion andcredibility of governmentsand democratic governanceas they pay out millions incampaign contributions tow i n p u b l i c s u b s i d i e s ,bailouts, and tax exemptionsa n d f i g h t t o w e a k e nenvironmental, health andlabor standards essential tothe long-term heal th ofsociety.

Korten emphasizes the fact thatincrease in economic output asorganizing principle for publicp o l i c y h a s l e d t o t h ebreakdown of ecosys tem’sregenerative capacities and ofsoc ia l fabr ic that sus ta inshuman community. He alsostresses that the continuing lackof resources has led to theintensification of competition forresources between rich andpoor. And the poor invariablylose. The governments’ failureto respond has given rise to acrisis of governance becausethe power has shifted from theg o v e r n m e n t s t o a f e wcorporations which are driventowards short term financialgains. In order to achieve shortt e rm f i nanc ia l ga in s , t hecorporations downsize to shedpeople and func t ions andtighten control over market andtechnology through mergers,

acqu is i t ions and s t ra teg icalliances. The corporations’con t ro l o f the med ia hast u r n e d i t i n t o a n a c t i v epropaganda machine constantlyassuring us that consumerismis the pa th to happ iness .

Korten onAlternatives toCorporate Rule

The corporat ions want thew o r l d t o b e c o m e a m a s smarket for their products andpeople their consumers – withvir tual ly no other identi ty.Power of money rather thanpower of people should be thedefining principle for everyaspec t o f l i fe . Th is i s thea g e n d a o f c o r p o r a t i o n s .

David Korten, in his book,When Corporations Rule the

at risk. The term suicide economy is not simply a metaphor,it is the proper name of a process that is converting thehuman, social, institutional, and natural capital of the planetinto corporate profits. Let me spell out what is at stake.

This graph addresses a very basic question. “How manyplanets endowed with an area of biologically productive landand sea equivalent to that of earth would it take to supportcurrent levels of human consumption of food, materials, andenergy on a sustainable basis.

This graph indicates we passed beyond the limits of thehuman burden this planet can sustain sometime around1980. As a species we are now consuming at a rate of about1.2 planets. Unfortunately, since we don’t have another twotenths planet we are making up the difference by depletingnatural capital, both non-renewable capital, like fossil fuels,and the renewable capital of our forests, fisheries, soils, waterand climatic systems. About 85% of what remains isexpropriated by the more fortunate 20% of the world’spopulation to support our often wasteful patterns ofconsumption. The least fortunate 20 percent of the world’speople struggle to survive on slightly more than 1 percent.Unfortunately, most people miss the true implications ofinequality because we are in the habit of thinking of moneyas wealth — which it isn’t. Money is a claim on wealth. It’sjust a number that exists only in our heads. This next overheadhelps us see the deeper implications of this reality.The next graph (top next page) represents world stock market

capitalization — the total value of all the stocks traded on theworld’s stock exchanges. It tracks growth in financial assets.What we’ve tracked so far only goes through 1999, so thegraph doesn’t show the more recent down turn, but the basicpicture is clear. Bear in mind here that although some 50percent of Americans own some stock, the richest 1 percentof households own nearly 50 percent of the value of all stocksowned by Americans. Globally the ownership of stocks is farmore concentrated. Surely less than 1 percent of all householdsin the world participate in stock ownership in anyconsequential way.

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 20000

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

15COVER S T O R Y

World, has beautifully outlinedconcrete steps that need to betaken if we want to reclaimthe people’s power from thecorporations and put a stop tothe total disintegration of ourplanet’s resources and cultures.According to him, corporateglobalization is being advancedby the conscious choices ofthose who v iew the wor ldt h r o u g h t h e l e n s o f t h ecorporate interest . Humanalternatives do exist, and thosewho view the world throughthe lens of human interesthave both the right and thep o w e r t o c h o o s e t h e m .

To defeat the corporate tyranny,the action must start from thegrassroots:

Planetary Consciousness:Consciousness should be thef i r s t s t e p ; r e a l i z i n g ,

u n d e r s t a n d i n g a n d t h e nresisting the destructivenessengulfing humanity should setthe foundations for societaltransformation.

Reclaiming Responsibility forLife:g Taking back the responsibility

for our lives, and reweavingthe basic fabric of caringfamilies and communities tocreate places for people andother living things.

g Bringing greater visibility tothe people and posi t iveinitiatives that are laying thef o u n d a t i o n s f o rt rans fo rmat i ve change .

g Our pursui t of mater ia labundance has c rea tedmaterial scarcity; our pursuitof l ife may bring a newsense of social, spiritual andeven material abundance.Create societies that give a

higher value to nurturinglove than to making money.

Valuing Local Economies &Social Capital:g The challenge is to create a

local ly rooted planetarysystem that empowers allpeople to create a goodl i v i n g i n b a l a n c e w i t hnature. The goal is not towall each community offfrom the world but ratherto create zones of locala c c o u n t a b i l i t y a n dresponsibility within whichpeople can rec la im thepower that is rightly theirsto manage their economiesin the common interest.

g T h e h u m a n p u r p o s e i sbetter served by a systemthat divides corporations andforces them to compete forthe favor of people, in thetrue spirit of a competitive

The bottom half of this overhead is the Living Planet Index— a measure of the health of the world’s forests, freshwater,ocean, and forest ecosystems. This represents the life supportsystem of the planet, the living capital that is the ultimatesource of all wealth. The index has declined by 37% in thepast 30 years. From the perspective of the planet, the goodnews is the species that bears the responsibility for thisdevastation will be gone well before the index reaches zero.It’s not especially good news, however, for us humans.

The rich and poor gap is increasing at an unprecedented pace. Howare the MNCs responsible for widening the gap?

As I said, money is a claim on wealth. Money can growvirtually without limit, but its growth is increasing the claimsof the few against the real resources on which all our livesdepend. In a full world, equity becomes an essential conditionof a healthy, sustainable society.

We are told that those who make money are creating wealththat adds to the pie of society’s total wealth. No one loses, sotherefore no one should begrudge the wealthy their properreward for their contribution to the increased well-being ofall. Of course it’s a bogus argument. Inflation of the financialbubble increases the claims of the holders of those assetsagainst the world’s shrinking real wealth far out of proportion

MAKING MONEY-GROWING POORER

Prepared by David C. Korten 6/26/2003The Positive Futures Networkwww.yesmagazine.org

10095908580757065605550

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

Living Planet Index

Source: WorldWide Fund for NatureLiving Planet Report 2002

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

1982

1986

1988

1990

1992

1994

1996

1998

World Stock Market Capitalization

Source: 2003 Bloomberg L.P.

Trillion Dollars

16 COVER S T O R Y

market. Let corporationsc o m p e t e t o e a r n t h e i rp ro f i t s . Le t peop le andcommunities compete tocreate a good living for all.

g S o c i a l b o n d i n g i s a sessent ial to the healthyfunctioning of a modernsociety as it was to moretraditional or tribal society.

g Corporate globalization isl e a d i n g u s t o a nevolutionary dead end. Incontrast, economic systemscomposed of locally rooted,self-reliant economies createin each locality the political,e c o n o m i c a n d c u l t u r a lspaces within which peoplecan f i nd a pa th to thefuture consistent with theirdistinctive aspirations, history,cul ture and ecosystems.

Defeat ing Consumer ismg Some 80% of environmental

damage is caused by 20%of the world’s population –1.1 billion overconsumers.Another 20% of the world’speople l i ve in abso lu tedeprivation. A major part oft h e b u r d e n w eoverconsumers place on theplanet comes from our useof automobiles, airplanesand throwaways productsthat come in unnecessaryp a c k a g i n g , a n d o u rconsumption of unhealthyfoods produced by methodsthat destroy the earth andleave what we eat poisonedwith toxic waste. Individualc h o i c e s c a n m a k e adifference. We can reducethe amount of meat in ourdiets. We can buy a waterf i l t e r t o r e d u c e o u rdependence on bo t t l edwater and soft drinks. Wecan buy fewer clothes or a

more gas-efficient car. Thereare countless such positivechoices to be made.

g If our goal is to provide agood living for people, weneed to transform our foodand agriculture system mucha s m u s t t r a n s f o r m o u rhabitats and transportationsystems. An appropriatesystem would most likely bec o m p o s e d o f t e n s o fthousands of intensivelymanaged small, family farmsproducing a diverse rangeof food, fiber, livestock andenergy precuts for localmarkets. Steps towards sucha sys tem would inc ludecarrying out agrarian reformto break up large corporatea g r i c u l t u r a l h o l d i n g s .Although moving towardmore localized food andagricultural systems andhealthier, less fatty diets

to any contribution they may have made to real wealth. Asa result a fortunate few enjoy multiple vacation homes, privatejets, and exotic foods, while the least fortunate are displacedfrom their homes and farmlands and condemned to lives ofhomelessness and starvation that bears no relationship toneed, contribution to society, or willingness to work.

The gap between glutinous extravagance and dehumanizingdeprivation grows in proportion to the financial gap.Furthermore, as the corporate scandals of the past couple ofyears have made so glaringly evident, many financial fortunesare not simply unearned, they are based on active andintentional fraud, theft, and the destruction of human andnatural capital.

This brings us to another bogus argument. We are told thateconomic growth is the key to ending poverty and thatenvironmental protection harms the poor. Again the truthis much the opposite. Growth in economic output actuallyaccelerates depletion of the natural wealth on which all lifedepends and intensifies the competition for what remains — a competition the poor invariably lose.

In face, the entire economic and financial system is structuredto assure that the gap between rich and poor keeps growing.As you see in this graph, worker play remained pretty mucheven with inflation throughout the 1990s. The economicgains went to corporate profits, owners of stocks, and CEO

compensation. This is not accidental. The tools of economicand financial analysis seek to assure that every public andcorporate policy decision is made with the intent to maximizereturns to money, which means to people who have or controlmoney — call them the money people. If it appears that wagesare rising, the Federal Reserve raises interest rates to slow theeconomy to increase unemployment and maintain a downwardpressure on wages. The announced purpose is to preventwage “inflation.” The unstated purpose is to make sure thatthe gains of economic growth and productivity are capturedby money people rather than by working people.

0%

100%

300%

400%

500%

600%

200%

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999

CEO, Play, S&P 500, Corporate Profits, Worker Pay,and Inflation , 1990-99

CEO Play+535%

S&P 500+297%

Corp. Profits +116%

Worker Pay +32.3%

Inflation +27.5%

17COVER S T O R Y

would require adjustments inour eating habits, this is nota vision of sacrifice anddeprivation. Rather, it is avision of a fertile earth ando f v i b r a n t a n d s e c u r eh u m a n c o m m u n i t i e spopulated by people withhealthy bodies and mindsnourished by wholesome,uncontaminated foods. Thee lement s o f th i s v i s ionsimply require restructuringthe relevant system in linewith the human rather thanthe co rpo ra te i n t e re s t .

Reclaiming Political Spacesand Decolonizing Cultureg C o r p o r a t i o n s h a v e n o

natural or inalienable rights.The corporation is a publicbody created by a publicact through issuing a publiccharter to serve a publicpurpose. We, the sovereign

people, have the inalienableright to determine whetherthe intended public purposei s be ing se r ved and toestablish legal processes toa m e n d o r w i t h d r a w acorporate charter at anyt ime we so choose. Weneed only decide.

g The problem is the system.Incremental changes withinindividual corporations orpolitical institutions cannotp r o v i d e a n a d e q u a t esolution. The whole systemof institutional power mustbe transformed.

g Removing corporations frompolitical participation is ane s s e n t i a l s t e p t o w a r drec la iming our pol i t i ca ls p a c e s . W i t h t h e i rdominance of the massmedia and their growinginfiltration of the classroom,corporations increasingly

c o n t r o l a n d s h a p e o u rp r i m a r y i n s t i t u t i o n s o fc u l t u r a l r e p r o d u c t i o n ,constantly reinforcing thevalues of consumerism andt h e b a s i c d o c t r i n e s o fcorporate libertarianism ina n e f f o r t t o a l i g nmainstream culture with thecorporate interest. To reclaimou r co l on i z ed po l i t i c a lspaces, we must reclaim ourcolonized cultural spaces.

1. Special antitrust legislationfor the media should beput in place to prohibit asingle corporation to ownmore than one major publicmedia outlet, whether anewspaper, a radio station,TV station or home cableservice. It should ensure thatt h e o u t l e t i s n o t u s e dprimarily as a means toadvance other corporate

While our politicians are cutting taxes for the rich andlaunching pre-emptive wars on already devastated countries,the UN World Food Organization reports that the numberof chronically hungry people in the world, which declinedsteadily during the 1970s and 80s, has been increasing sincethe early 1990s. The U.S. Department of Agricultureestimates that by 2008 two-thirds of the people of Sub-Saharan Africa will be undernourished. Forty percent willbe undernourished in Asia.

In the United States, presumably the richest country in theworld, 3.3 million children experience outright hunger. Tenpercent of U.S. households, accounting for 31 million people,do not have access to enough food to meet their basic needs.

This all is so daunting. How do we ever break the cycle of poverty?What do you think can be done?

The only way to end poverty is to redistribute how we usethe available, sustainable wealth of the planet. To do that,we must redistribute financial wealth. In summation: It isimpossible to grow our way out of poverty on a finite planet.To end poverty we must achieve both equity and sustainability.We confront a defining evolutionary moment for our speciesthat leaves us very little time to accomplish the following:

g Bring the material consumption of our species intobalance with the earth.

g Realign our economic priorities to assure all personshave access to an adequate and meaningful means ofliving for themselves & their families.

g Democratize our institutions to root power in peopleand community.

g Replace the dominant culture of materialism withcultures grounded in life affirming values of cooperation,caring, compassion, and community.

g Integrate the material and spiritual aspects of our beingto become whole mature persons.

The global economic and political crisis is at its core aspiritual crisis and is properly the concern of every personof faith because it involves profound values questions thatgo to the heart of who we are and what we value.

We humans live by stories and our stories differ dramaticallyamong us. Indeed, you might say we are a species dividedby our stories. The great global clash between corporateglobalists and global civil society that caught the world’sattention during the historic protest here in Seattle in 1999against the World Trade Organization can be characterizedas a clash of stories so different as to be from two whollydifferent worlds — which in many respects they are.

The corporate globalists — corporate officers, public relationsspinners, media, politicians and economists — inhabit aworld in which their power and privilege continue to grow— leading them to see progress at every hand. In their story

18 COVER S T O R Y

in teres ts . No indiv idualshould be allowed to havea majority holding in morethan one media corporation.This would enhance the freespeech rights of the publicby limiting the ability of afew powerful individuals andcorporations to dominateaccess to the major meansof public communication.

2. I n c l a s s i c a l m a r k e te conomi c s , t he ro l e o fbusinesses is to respond tomarke t demand, not tocreate it. Tax deductions foradvertising provide a publicsubsidy for hundreds ofbillions of dollars a year incorporate advertising aimedat enticing people to buythings that they neither wantnor need and creating aconsumer culture detrimentalto the health of society andthe planet. Advertising, otherthan pure ly in format ive

a d v e r t i s i n g b a s e d o nverifiable facts regarding theuses, speci f icat ions andavailability of a product, isnot in the public interest. Ata m i n i m u m , t h e c o s t sshould not be deductible asa bus ines s expense . Inaddit ion, as a pol lut ioncontrol measure, a publicfee might be assessed onadvertising in outdoor orother public spaces with thep ro ceed s u sed t o f undpublic-interest consumereducation. Factual producti n f o r m a t i o n m i g h t b ep r o v i d e d o n d e m a n dthrough product directories,i n c l u d i n g o n - d e m a n ddirectories that re accessiblethrough computer servicesand interactive TV.

3. Schools should be declaredadver t i s ing f ree zones ,administrat ion of publ icschools should remain a

public-sector function, andcorporate-sponsored teachingmodules should be bannedfrom classroom use undert h e b a n o n i n - s c h o o ladvertising.

Relentless, destruct ive andoverpowering, the corporatefactor has crept into our livesand dominates almost everyaspect of our living. The greatstruggle between the forces ofcorporate globalization and thef o r c e s o f t h e e m e r g i n gmovement – between financialvalues and life values – is farfrom resolved. But let us hopethat humanity’s long standingdream of a truly civil society –a dream shared by countlessmill ions throughout humanhistory – is an idea whosetime has finally come. It’s inour hands to make it happen.

the deregulation of economic life and the removal ofeconomic borders is expanding human freedom and clearingaway barriers to creating the wealth that will ultimately endpoverty and save the environment. In their story they arechampions of an inexorable and beneficial historical processof economic growth and technological progress that iseliminating the tyranny of inefficient and meddlesome publicbureaucracies and unleashing the innovative power ofcompetition and private enterprise.

Their story portrays global corporations as the greatest andmost efficient of human institutions. It celebrates the BrettonWoods institutions the World Bank, IMF, and World TradeOrganization as essential and beneficial institutions that areexpanding market freedom and driving the wealth creationprocess by increasing safeguards for investors and privateproperty and removing restraints to a free movement ofgoods and services that is creating unprecedented wealth.

By contrast, civil society tells the story of a world in deepeningcrisis of such magnitude as to threaten the fabric of civilizationand the survival of the species a world of rapidly growinginequality, erosion of relationships of trust and caring, anda failing planetary life support system.

Where corporate globalists tell of the spread of democracyand vibrant market economies, civil society tells of the powerto govern shifting away from people and communities to

financial speculators and global corporations dedicated tothe blind pursuit of short-term profit in disregard of humanand natural concerns.

Civil society sees corporations replacing democracies ofpeople with democracies of money, self-organizing marketswith centrally planned corporate economies, and spirituallygrounded ethical cultures with cultures of greed andmaterialism.

In the eyes of civil society the corporate global economy isa suicide economy that is destroying the foundations of itsown survival and the survival of the species. They see acorrupt political process awash in corporate money andbeholden to corporate interests rewriting our laws to providecorporations with massive public subsidies while eliminatingthe regulations and borders that hold corporationsaccountable to some larger public interest. They see theWorld Bank, IMF, and World Trade Organization as leadingagents of this assault against life.

How would you conclude your discussion for readers of EDucate!

The truth lies with global civil society. The human futuredepends on a deep economic transformation aimed at riddinghuman society of the pathology of the global, publicly traded,limited liability corporation.

19COVER S T O R Y

20

The greatest evil is not now done in thosesordid “dens of crime” that Dickens loved topaint. It is not done even in concentrationcamps and labor camps. In those we see itsfinal result. But it is conceived and ordered(moved, seconded, carried and minuted) inclean, carpeted, warmed and well-lightedoffices, by quiet men with white collars andcut fingernails, and smooth-shaven cheekswho do not need to raise their voices.Hence, naturally enough, my symbol for Hellis something like... the offices of a thoroughlynasty business concern.

C.S. Lewis

We are witnessing an unprecedented transferof power from people and their governmentsto global institutions whose allegiance is toabstract free-market principle, and whosefavored citizens are soulless corporate entitiesthat have the power to shape and breaknations.

Joel Bleifuss

The ultimate weakness of violence is that itis a descending spiral, begetting the veryth ing i t s eeks to de s t roy. In s tead o fdiminishing evil, it multiplies it. Throughviolence you may murder the hater, but youdo not murder hate. In fact, violence merelyincreases hate. Returning violence forviolence multiplies violence, adding deeperdarkness to a night already devoid of stars.Darkness cannot drive out hate; only lovecan do that.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

The smart way to keep people passive andobedient is to strictly limit the spectrum ofacceptable opinion, but allow very livelydeba te w i th in tha t spec t rum – evenencourage the more critical and dissidentviews. That gives people the sense thatthere's free thinking going on, while all thetime the presuppositions of the system arebeing reinforced by the limits put on therange of the debate.

Noam Chomsky

Of the 100 largest economies in the world, 51are corporations; only 49 are countries (basedon a comparison of corporate sales and countryGDPs).

The Top 200 corporations' combined sales arebigger than the combined economies of allcountries minus the biggest 10.

The Top 200s' combined sales are 18 times thesize of the combined annual income of the 1.2billion people (24 percent of the total worldpopu la t ion) l i v ing in ‘ s evere ’ pover ty.

While the sales of the Top 200 are theequivalent of 27.5 percent of world economicactivity, they employ only 0.78 percent of theworld's workforce.

U.S. corporations dominate the Top 200, with82 slots (41 percent of the total). Japanesef i r m s a r e s e c o n d , w i t h o n l y 4 1 s l o t s .

In 1970 there were approximately 7,000corporations operating internationally. Todaythere are approximately 60,000 transnationalswith over half a million foreign affiliates.

Trade between subsidiaries within the sameparent corporation now accounts for roughly athird of world trade.

Mergers and a proli feration of strategicpartnerships among corporations are giving afew producers an undue amount of influenceon the market. Market power often alsotranslates into political influence. The currentcascade of mergers is bolstered by the broadtrend toward privatization of state-ownedc o m p a n i e s a n d p u b l i c i n f r a s t r u c t u r e ,deregulation and the liberalization of trade,investments and capital markets.

Oxfam estimates that developing countries losetax revenues of at least $50 billion a year dueto tax competition and the use of tax havens.

The World Bank has predicted that by 2025two thirds of the world population will nothave enough drinking water. Much of theworld's water corporations are privatizing supply.

& Reflections...Inspirations WAKEUP

CALLS!!!

ASHFAQ AHMEDBy

Aziz Kabani & Somaiya Ayoob

I am confronted with a strange dilemma; intellectually I am deeply committed to humanity because of which I writecopiously about their grief and pain and protest at the injustice and cruelty perpetrated on them. But strange enough,I do not like humans per se – the people around me, my friends, my relatives, my neighbors, my peers. None of themplease me and I criticize them severely time and again. A person who does not share my views or agree with me, Icannot bring myself to even talk to them. What am I to do? Who do I confide in? Who should I expect to lend a

helping hand to me? Although I am in love with the abstract form of humanity, I cannot conjoin with its living,breathing attribute, the humans themselves, in their hour of need and distress. The ignorant barely seem human to meand like Mir Taqi Mir, I consider it a sheer waste of time to have a discourse with them. Inspite of this my love forhumanity is immense; I march on holding its flag. I want to break free from the burdensome contradiction but findno one to support and (worse still) all paths leading to renaissance appear blank. I am wasting away, wasting away

in the depths of my love for humanity.Translation of a Letter by Ashfaq Ahmed – a letter that sums up his philosophy about life and humanity.

Ashfaq Ahmed, one of the most famous playwrights, authors and public intellectuals ofPakistan. In this exclusive interview with EDucate! he discusses the importance and significance

of cultural values and indigenous societal learning systems.

URon!

An Interview for EDucate!

Do you think that our generation ismesmerized and overwhelmed by theWest?

Before discussing the implications, I would like toemphasize that our young generation is unable tounderstand the ‘cultural vacuum’ that exists in our society.At a surface level, they may be familiar with our culturalheritage, for example, they may have heard about Bull-e-Shah or Bhitai without any profound understanding oftheir works. I feel that mere pace of the technologicalprogress is at times too much to handle or absorb by ouryouth.

Let me try and further elaborate on my point. I feel that‘humanistic’ or ‘spiritual ’ traditions and learningmechanisms that existed in our society were a product ofdeep thoughts and collective communal efforts. Thesetraditions and societal mechanisms, in my opinion, arenot really compatible with today’s fast paced randomsystems of societal bonding and progress.

I also feel that there is an inherent and historicaldifference between the moral values of this part of theworld and Europe or America. And I feel the differencehas increased in recent times as Europe and America areleading so many regions of the world towards destructionand annihalation. I therefore feel sorry to add that wherewe used to send our children or youth for education tothe west, now it is literally like sending them to learnh o w t o h a t e a n d k i l l o t h e r h u m a n b e i n g s .It seems that the quest is now for material wealth andgain rather than progression in science and technology.I think that even sceince which I thought was there todiscover for the betterment of humanity is falling in thetrap of developing ‘ultra sophisticated’ weapons for humandestruction.

Generally speaking, do you feel that we arebeing ‘modernized’ or ‘westernized’? In both

cases what do you feel that implications are?

You rightly pointed out that ‘westernization’ is equatedwith ‘modernization’. We failed to trace out the meaningof modernization in our culture and how to respond tothe challenges of western modernization academically andmore importantly intellectually. Unfortunately, we failedto develop our academia which in turn would havedeveloped a contextualized understanding of modernizationthrough the lense of our cultural and moral values andsystems. do not have the human capacity to do such ajob. Our renowned universities, such as JamshoroUniversity or Punjab University, are devoid of teacherswho could point out that modernization existed in oursociety as well with all the necessary societal systems. Ourpublic intellectuals, I feel, have let us down. They haveshown no capacity what so ever to repond to thechallenges of social breakdown and apathy that I feel our

youth is faced with today. I also feel that we have notdone justice to our religion and its teachings regardingsocietal change.

Do you think the family’s role is muchmore important than school’s in bringing

about a positive societal change?

In a family, values and knowledge are transmittedthroughout the course of a child’s upbringing. It is, thus,a natural phenomenon. It is not necessarily told; it ispracticed, observed and internalized.

Gradually, the cultural traditions of parents become a partof their children’s lives. I believe no matter what you sayor project that you have liberated yourself from thebounds of your cultural traditions it continues to play animportant role in an invisible manner and one cannotcompletely be void of ones family or cultural values andtraditions. I think the good values of a family – valuesthat based on the principals of fairness and justice docome in the way if one choses to go on a path that isotherwise.

For example, when I returned to my village aftercompleting my Bachelors of Arts, the old cobbler of thevillage, who has seen me grow and is guarding thesocietal norms and values, would find some of my actionsinappropriate. When I would ask him as to why hethinks my conduct is wrong instead of providing me witha ‘scientific’ rational he woud simply reply by saying, “thisis not the way of your forefathers”. The real questionsthen is, “what were the ways of our forefathers?” Theways were: respect the elders, help others, participate inone anothers happy and sad moments etc. He wasobviously no Socrates. But my point is that is how thesocial system used to funtion.

Then came the school. A schooling system based on thephilosophies and teachings of people and ‘lords’ likeMaCaulay and Keynes. According to them life is all abouta quest for supriority by hook or crook. The entire systemof living will only be supportive to those who will ‘gladly’relinquish their morality and spirituality or to those whohave none of those to begin with. Now these are thepeople who developed the modern schooling system andwe are blindly following it. One system i.e. the system ofoppression imposed on my Buddhist culture, my Hindu

U R O n . . .

Q:

22

We failed to trace out the meaning ofmodernization in our culture and how to

respond to the challenges of westernmodernization academically and more

importantly intellectually.

Q:

Q:

culture, my Sikh culture, my Christian culture, my Muslimculture. A system in which human being will succeed onlyif they were to bow down to greed, injustice and finallyselfishness.

You mean that the world could be muchbetter if we were to rid ourselves from

s y s t e m s t h a t a r e e c o n o m i c a l l y d r i v e n ?

Yes, I think we live in an artifical world or a world thatis artificially created by what you call in the language ofreligion, Satan – an ‘evil’ called economics. This economicsystem forces you to impose an education on your childthat motivates him/her towards maximum material gains.You no longer recommend your brother to go to theKhurasan University and learn poetry, or compare theworks of Khayam with the modern poetry or compare the13th century poetry with Bhitai’s poetry or with Hyde’sor Eliot’s. As I come to understand, the race for materialgain at times is not a matter of choice for us it issomething that is imposed on us.

I can assure you that within the next 50 years, this socalled democracy would loose its meaning and wouldtotally dismantle. It would be replaced by an emergingand awful enemy called the ‘multinational’. Multinationalswould never let any form of democracy to grow. Theyhave the ‘money’ and are based on money. Eight percentor perhaps more of the world’s wealth is under theabsolute control of multinationals.

My grandson usually corrects my pronunciation; he saysits multinational (mul-tae-national) and not multinational(mul-tee-national), as I say it. When I tell him that wehad gone to school years back that’s why my accent isobsolete, he gets nettled. So these multinationals havecontrol over our lives. We are not living a life of ourown choice – we are living a ‘manufactured’ life.

Nowadays, the propaganda on the media is that ‘we’ areprotecting democratic values or rather we are protectingthe civilized world. In reality, all ‘they’ are protecting isthe interest of rich people and the multinationals nothing

else! For example, there is a group of around two millionpeople in Pakistan including doctors, writers, industrialistsand journalists (we intellectual are also included in thatgroup). Whatever happens in this country, whether thereis democracy, dictatorship or army rule, we have little orno concern with it. As long as our air conditioners andgeezers are functioning, we are comfortable. At times wepublic intellectual may seem very bothered and concernedabout the plight of the people who are oppressed but Ibelieve most of us only put up a pretence. I feel that attimes our concerns are limited to mere talk and nothingbeyond that.

I have met Mao Ze Tung, you must have heard abouthim. I was the only non-dignitary from Pakistan who hasmet Mao and shaken hands with him. Since I was hisardent admirer, I went to see him. But when I saw him,I was speechless. Although we had only about fiveminutes to talk but he was too nice and conversed withme for more than ten minutes.

He told me how dear Pakistan is to China and why butthat’s a different story altogether. The most importantthing which he told me was that whatever you maypreach, unless it is not followed by a long march i.e.masses you won’t get the desired results.

Unlike Mao, we try to run our social and politicalmovements and institutions from the top. We don’t tryto give an opportunity to the masses to become a partof the process. We entice people to do what we say byoffering them incentives. In turn, people feel grateful tous and think we must be doing something for them sincewe look well-dressed and sympathetic. They consider ustheir Sain (master).

Ironically there is no common point of interest for us. Along march is a strange thing. It means to live with ideasrather than holding back on them – in other words tolive with the people at the grassroots and involving themin building social movements.

Q:

We think that progressive thought exists inour society in pockets. By progressive

thought we mean thinking ahead of our timerather than submitting ourselves to the status quoand overlooking limitations of the present system.We often think why this progressive thought doesnot trickle down to the masses and shape up asan integrated intellectual/social movement?

Because we never meet people at the grassroots level. Letme quote my own example, I call myself a progressiveperson and yet I have not met so many living in distantcorners of Pakistan. A cobbler living in some remote areamay be very progressive in his own context. The localpeople are very progressive in their work and in the waythey think. I cannot think the way they do. Theirprogressiveness is evident from their creativity – theycreate so many unique things. For example, I could neverthink of making Ajrak (a shawl manufactured in Sindh,Pakistan). I went to Shahkot to see the manufacturingprocess and my God I was stunned. The whole procedurewas amazing; based on creativity with immaculate precisionand elegance. To me this is progressiveness, which wereally need as human beings.

Today, we do have a lot of progressive ideas which wewant to transfer to the grassroots but unfortunately theseideas are not indigenous, we have borrowed them fromsomewhere else. The reason why progressive ideas couldnot trickle down is because we did not try hard. We didnot talk to people. We did not live with them. We didnot march with them. Interacting and living with peoplewould help you recognize reality.

I want to tell you people a story – a real one. I wentto college and after completing the first quarter I cameback to the village. I was considered as an importantperson and had lofty ideas. I thought it was appropriateto act superior, since I was studying in a city college, andmade my fellow villagers feel ashamed because they couldnot achieve what I did. My mother asked me to go andvisit our village cobbler. In our village, old men wereaddressed as Taya (paternal uncle). Taya Qasim used torepair shoes under a tree in our village. I thought sinceI am a literate person and amongst the very few in the

village, why do I need to go and visit a cobbler? Butbecause my mother had asked me to, I went to him.When I met him, he praised me and wished me all thebest for my future.

Taya Qasim then asked what have I learnt from the city?I asked him whether he knew of a subject called Zoology.Then explained to him that it is the study of animals. Ialso told him that there is another subject about flowersand plants called Botany. Then I asked him whether heknew that a housefly has upto three thousand eyes. Yousee, the system in the eyes of a housefly is such that itcan see things from multiple angles. Not believing me hereconfirmed the number of eyes twice. After hearing myreply, he finally said, “damn the stupid fly; despite havingthree thousand eyes, whenever she sits, she sits on dirt”.And I became speechless. To me that was original andprogressive thinking.

Do you think that our schools, colleges anduniversities are making us arrogant? Not only

that, they are taking us away from our ownvalues.

Yes! In the context of education, we use a culturalexpression zaivar-e-ilm say aarasta karna (decorating oneselfwith the ornament of knowledge). I advise people to alterthis expression because a person who would wearornaments would invariably gaze at him/herself in themirror. If you have adorned yourself with that kind ofmaterialistic education, you would be self-absorbed andobsessed with yourself. You would try to be in front ofthe mirror all the time and will not consider othersworthy of our attention. Therefore, I urge that let peoplebe hungry, let them be illiterate but don’t let them bedeprived of self-respect.

I always advise my daughters and sisters to give duerespect to women who come to work at their houses.The dignity of work must be upholded. It is fine to givethem clothes and incentives but first of all it is importantto give them the respect they deserve as human beingsand treat them as equal humans. Once we see them andview them as equals we will be able to respect them andby that we will eventually be able to respect ourselves.

Again, you’ re absolute ly correct , in say ing thatcontemporary and eurocentric education turns humanbeings into very arrogant and egotistical creatures.Therefore, whatever is being taught, it should be aimedat helping individuals to become better people. In oursociety, we have many well educated people but not manygood human beings. Educated people with high social andfinancial standing, coming out of their cars, consideringthemselves to be better human beings because they havea privileged position in society. But they cannot becomegood human beings unless they do not empathize witho t h e r s a n d h a v e a s e n s e o f j u s t i c e i n t h e m .

24

Q:

The reason why progressive ideas couldnot trickle down is because we did nottry hard. We did not talk to people. Wedid not live with them. We did notmarch with them. Interacting and livingwith people would help you recognizereality.

Q:

U R O n . . .

Look at our traditional learning systems. We had deray1

where a Sain used to sit. Bhit Shah2 is a gloriousexample, where people visited Shah Abdul Latif Bhittaifor learning. Consider Buddha, who sat under a tree toshare people’s concerns and grief. Although he was a kingof a huge dynasty, he relinquished his empire for the sakeof seeking spirituality and being close to the commonpeople. This is how heigthened learning takes place.People like Bhittai and Buddha tried to go deeper intothe human soul. This is how spiritual values aredeveloped and shared. And I believe, that today ourteachers and educators need to assume the same role inorder to make our education system more meaningful.

Do you think that the values embedded in thethe oriental cultures and religions could help

us resist the Western value system – a systemw h a t y o u t h i n k i s b a s e d o n g r e e d a n dmaterialism?

I see it in a different way. First of all it seems verydifficult because of the mere magnitude and the might of

that opposing system. Unfortunately, we are not fullyaware of the strength and potential that system possesses.To be very honest, our society lacks the kind ofintellectual rigor which is needed to confront the Westernvalue system. We have to defeat the immoral systems,whether western or eastern, with a greater sense ofmorality. I have a high regard and deep respect for ourreligious leaders but when you discuss your problems withthem, especially vis-à-vis this issue, you find themstruggling for answers. They have nothing to offer interms of intellectual guidance. I recently asked one ofthem about the current global political situation and hetold me that ‘Inshallah’ (God willing) everything wouldget better. I have no doubt that God will help us butwe have to have a strategy to deal with our situation.

Why don’t we have such an alternativesystem?

Because our intellectual class (tabqa) and the educationsystem is westernized. No matter what our people do,they are unable to deconstruct fully or detatch fully from

the western reference points that have been shaped bythe western educational institutions. Interestingly, whena youngster goes to the US for studies, he starts offeringhis Friday prayers in the Islamic Center. He would usuallynot pray in his own country. Although he would becomea better Muslim ritualistically (as far as performing religiousobligations are concerned), as he would feel that hisidentity is under threat. Ironically, in all other ways hewould try to become an American.

Let me tell you that our conflict with the West is notbased on rituals. They have no problem if you say yourprayers seven times a day instead of five or you fast fortwo months instead of one. They have a problem withthe kind of lifestyle you follow i.e. your ideology that isbased on higher principles of morality and spirituality –an ideology that motivates you to challenge injustice.

Do you think that the present situation isbecoming hopeless?

No, I don’t think so. Honestly speaking, I cannot give

you an explanation in words because there is another sideof the reality which can only be experienced and forwhich words would not suffice – it is something thatrelates to Sufis. I belong to a religion and a school ofthought which believes in the dominance of wisdom(danai) and intellect (aqal) and which commands itsfollowers to reflect upon the universe by using one’sintellect.

God clearly indicates to humans, in the Quran, to explorethe universe and seek His signs in it. I believe this iswhat education is all about. I am not a pessimist. Thepresence of 140 million people in this country and theexistence of billions on earth elevate my hope. I stronglybelieve that our existence has a meaning. No matter howpowerful evil is; truth will keep on resisting it. Not thetruth which we try to fabricate but the truth that reflectsour inner selves. This would emanate from all of us. Thistruth is delicate like a spider’s web and yet it is so strongthat it cannot be easily splintered. If this was not areality I would not have had hope. I am talking aboutmetaphysics; I believe that we have so far explored theknown world. We have not yet ventured into the‘unknown’, which is infinite.

1 A place usually isolated, like under a tree or a hill where people would gather around a saint for seeking knowledge and spirituality.2 Dwelling of a famous Muslim Sufi poet Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai in Sindh, Pakistan.

25

I strongly believe that our existence has a meaning. No matter how powerfulevil is; truth will keep on resisting it. Not the truth which we try to fabricatebut the truth that reflects our inner selves. This would emanate from all of us.This truth is delicate like a spider’s web and yet it is so strong that it cannot

be easily splintered. If this was not a reality I would not have had hope.

Q:

Q:

U R O n . . .

Q:

One fundamental inequality in today's world is theeconomic and cultural divide between the developedNorth and the developing South. Challenging thatinequality will involve huge changes in both the Southand the North. In the South, and all over the world,the hungry and the poor should have enough to eatand should enjoy economic and cultural self-sufficiency. In the North, and all over the world, theoverfed and the rich should live more simply andshould still enjoy economic and cultural self-sufficiency.

In the last edition of EDucate! (Issue No. 2, Vol No.2) the article “The Case for Local Food” by HelenaNorberg-Hodge explains how building local foodeconomies would provide everyone with enough toeat, strengthen local communities, and nurture theland. Now there is an expanded discussion of localfood economies in a new book “Bringing the FoodEconomy Home: Local Alternatives to GlobalAgribusiness”, by Ms. Norberg-Hodge and others. Thebook is an accessible and comprehensive introductionto the thinking behind the burgeoning ‘local food’movement.

The bulk of the book is an extended explanation ofhow the global food system contributes to many ofthe problems which the world faces today, fromglobal warming to the decline of rural economies,from extinction of species to loss of democracy, fromwater scarcity to unsafe food. It shows, both withcommon sense and with facts and figures, that world-wide economic and environmental havoc are ani n e v i t a b l e c o n s e q u e n c e o f ‘g l o b a l f o o d ’ .

An example particularly relevant to the South is thestory, told by Vandana Shiva, of the effects of the

Green Revolution and genetically modified ‘GoldenRice’ on the rice farms of India. Ms. Shiva explainsthat the intensive input methods of industr ialagriculture both use too much water and makepeople sick, and she argues that health, freedomand true food security depend on the biodiversitywhich results from small-scale farming. The book'sfundamental argument is that, because of thewidespread impact of the global food system, localfood is one of the most effective entry points forsolving the world's interconnected problems. Thebenefits of localization include stronger links betweenfarmers and consumers, strengthening communities inboth the country and the city, direct participation ineconomic structures, healing and nurturing theenvironment, and reducing the disparities between theNorth and the South.

This movement towards local food is especiallyimportant in the North, because, as the book pointsout, in the South a much greater proportion of thepopulation sti l l l ives on or close to the land.However, there are lessons for the South. Forexample, many Southern governments stil l usesubsidies for chemical fertilizers and for pesticides toencourage large-scale agriculture for export, notsmall-scale diversified farms to feed their own people.

The book describes a variety of ‘ideas that work’.Most of the examples are from the North, such asCommunity Supported Agriculture schemes in NorthAmerica and the United Kingdom and the Japaneseconsumer cooperatives which link urban householdswi th organic farms. However, one ex t remelyprovocative story comes from Cuba, which in the1990s shi f ted “away from chemical- intensivemonoculture for export, toward the production ofdiverse, organic food for local consumption”. Cuba'sstory demonstrates how quickly an entrenchedagricultural system can be changed when an entiresociety – government, rural peoples, and urbandwellers – joins in developing a local food economy,and it shows the tremendous benefits which result.

In its conclusion, the book points out that localizationof our food systems will require changes at theinternational, national, and local levels. It offers anoverview of what those changes might be, such asrenegotiation of international trade treaties, shiftingnational subsidies to promote local food, buy-localcampaigns and other community initiatives. Activelysupporting ‘local food’ at all these levels is apowerful way for each of us to begin bridging theeconomic and cultural divide between the North andthe South.

S O C I E T A L L E A R N I N GB O O K S F O R A B E T T E R W O R L D

Bringing the FoodEconomy Home:

Local Alternatives to Global AgribusinessHelena Norberg-Hodge, Todd Merrifield and

Steven GorelickPublished by Zed Books for the International

Society for Ecology and Culture

Bill Glassmire

26

aksulamal@yahoo.com – idsp@qta.paknet.com.pk – www.idsp.sdnpk.org

IDSPInstitute for DevelopmentStudies & Practices Quetta,

Pakistan

Transform A Quarterly on History, Development, Education & Culture

INSTITUTE OF DEVELOPMENT STUDIES AND PRACTICES PRESENTS ITS REVOLUTIONAIZING SET OF PUBLICATIONS IN ENGLISH AND URDU

This publication is a remarkable effort on behalf ofShirkat Gah, Women’s Resource Center. The purposeof this book is to identify and discuss critical issuespertaining to the multi-faceted development injusticesand inequities in the South, and its relation to theflourishing North. This crisp and critical collectiontalks of concerns like economic injustices in theSouth, the controlling agencies and how millions inour society suffer at the hands of those who‘legitimately’ rob them off their resources. It aims tobring to light such pending concerns of which mostof the population of our part of the world is avictim. The first chapter titled “The Making of theThird World – How it all Began” explains themechanism by which the developed world tookcontrol over the developing nations’ resources andhow wealth got concentrated in a few hands.

“Colonization of Agriculture” explains how theNorthern colonials took over the agriculture of theSouth and pioneered the monoculture system. Thecolonizers exploited the South’s resources and laborfor their own profits. The adjoining chapters highlightother burning issues like “The Takeover of the South– Trade and Bondage”, “Imitation of Nature – SettledAgriculture”, “The Creation of Dependency – High-Yield Variety Seeds”, “World Bank and IMF – Banksthat Dictate Economies”, etc. One of the critiques“Not-So-Free Trade – Export-Oriented Versus People-Oriented” underlines the West’s trade objective ofever-increasing production and consumption. It stresseshow in the last couple of decades the South’s self-sufficiency has been damaged and how it hasbecome dependent on importing food from the North– a situation artificially created by the latter. “TheGene Banks and Food Security – Killing Bio-Diversityfor Control” discusses at length the importance ofb io -d i ve r s i t y to hea l th y c rops and how themult inationals have seized control over smallenterprises responsible for plant breeding, commercialseed production and seed patenting – ventures withsizable profits and tools for making the Southdependent on seeds as well as food. Other bravelywritten accounts include “Militarization of WorldSociety”, “The Arms Industry”, “The Piracy of the FirstWorld”, “Where We Stand Today” etc.

The book is simple, comprehensible and readerfriendly, especially for all those who are new to theconcepts of strategically unequal and violatorydevelopment.

To order a copy or obtain more information, emailNa jma Sadeque a t sh i r ka t@cyber.ne t .pk o rsgah@lhr.comsats.net.pk

S O C I E T A L L E A R N I N GB O O K S F O R A B E T T E R W O R L D

How ‘They’ Runthe World

The Global Economy or, Why We arePoverty Stricken

Najma Sadeque

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S O C I E T A L L E A R N I N GW E B S I T E S F O R A B E T T E R W O R L D

“CorpWatch counters corporate-led globalization througheducation, network-building and activism. We work tofoster democratic control over corporations by buildinggrassroots globalization a diverse movement for humanrights and dignity, labor rights and environmental justice”.

Introduction:For the past five years San Francisco-based CorpWatchhas been educating and mobilizing people through theCorpWatch.org website and various campaigns, includingthe C l imate Jus t i ce In i t ia t i ve and the UN andCorporations Project.

In addition to the vast array of resources available onCorpWatch.org, the organization's accomplishments aremany. They include playing a role in pressuring Nike toimprove conditions at its overseas sweatshops by releasinga confidential independent audit that exposed theconditions at a Vietnamese sweatshop. The release ofthe audit garnered significant media attention, includinga front-page story the New York Times.

CorpWatch has also co-produced five live one-hour radiobroadcasts from the WTO Ministerial meeting andprotests in Seattle that aired on 135 stations. They brokethe story of the UN's growing entanglement withcorporations in 1999 and have campaigned on it eversince. They are also working hard to re-define the globalwarming issue as a question of local and global humanrights and environmental justice.

Functions of the website:§ News, information, exposes, analysis and first person

accounts§ Updates on CorpWatch campaigns§ A hands-on guide to doing your own on-line

research on corporations§ Activist alerts and information on how you can get

involved in grassroots action

Site Segments:

CampaignsIn addition to providing in-depth information related to

corporate globalization, CorpWatch campaigns in thesespecific areas:

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www.corpwatch.orgHOLDING CORPORATIONS

ACCOUNTABLEAliya Suleman

Commodificationof Education

DR. SHAHID SIDDIQUI

Around three decades ago, an e w p h e n o m e n o n b e c a m epopular on the internationaleconomic front: the notion ofneo-liberalism, which had animpact on a l l wa lks o f l i f eincluding education. In Pakistan,however, its impact became morepronounced during the lastdecade. Before analyzing itsimpact , i t i s impera t ive tounpack the phenomenon itself.Neo-liberalism in economic termssimply means, ‘ free market’,w h e r e t h e r e i s a g g r e s s i v ecompetition, a great deal ofe x p l o i t a t i o n o f l a b o r, n ointervention of state and almostno morality. Profit maximizationis the foremost aim of neo-liberal economy.

In Pakistan, education sector gotits share of the ‘free market’ inthe last decade. Neo-liberalism,as it advocates free market andno intervention of the state,encouraged privatization, whichbecame a popular trend in thec o u n t r y e s p e c i a l l y i n t h eeducation sector. Privatizationi t s e l f i s n o t a n e g a t i v ephenomenon. As I mentionedearlier, in the past there weres o m e q u a l i t y e d u c a t i o n a li n s t i t u t i o n s w h i c h w e r eestab l i shed and run by thepr iva te sec tor w i thout anymoney-making motive. Even in

hile revisiting the history of education, we come acrossopposing trends regarding the aim, content, pedagogy, anddynamics of education. The socio-political situation and

economic status of a society have their influence on education andsimilarly, education – in its own way – impacts and shapes thepolitico-economic scenario of a society. There were times wheneducation was considered an ivory tower where the main objectivewas to acquire ‘pure knowledge’. The students of such educationalinstitutions would devote their lives to life long processes of learning.Occupational skills were learned by practice – usually by workingwith people who had the expertise and knowledge regarding aparticular trade.

The schools were owned and managed by the State and wereconsidered as social institutions. The state not only subsidized theexpenditures but also charged nominal fee. As a result, a large

majority of parents could afford tosend their children to schools. Thosewere the days when subjects likesocial sciences and humanities wereoffered as part and parcel of ahigher education curriculum. Theteachers worked with sheer sincerityand students respected them fortheir commitment and dedication. Inshort, the primary aim of educationwas not maximizing profit.

After the creation of Pakistan, a fewprivate schools were also established,sponsored by certain ‘anjumans’ orp h i l a n t h r o p i s t g r o u p s . T h e s einstitutions were set up with thepurpose of spreading education acrossthe country and not for reapingprofits. Education did not come witha hefty price tag, the text bookswere reasonably priced and theschool bags were not that bulky.

EDUCATIONR E T H I N K I N G

W

D R . S H A H I D S I D D I Q U I

Dr. Shahid Siddiqui has done his Ph.D.in Language Education from Universityof Toronto, Canada, M.Ed. TESOL fromthe University of Manchester, UK; andM.A. English from University of Punjab.Currently Dr. Siddiqui is working at theG h u l a m I s h a q K h a n I n s t i t u t e o fEngineering Sciences and Technologywhere he heads the ManagementSciences and Humanit ies Program.

29

EDUCATIONR E T H I N K I N G

present times, there may be a handful of suchinstitutes that are working with a genuine spirit tomake education accessible and affordable for themasses. But the privatization that came under theinfluence of neo-liberalism was primarily aimed atprofit maximization.

Here I would like to refer to an interestingobservation by Dave Hill (2003) who suggests that“…the capitalist class has a Business Plan forEducation and a Business plan in Education.” Thisobservation holds true for the contemporaryeducational scenario in Pakistan where we areencouraging the trend of turning education into alucrative business.

Interestingly, the industry has influenced oureducation system in various forms. For example, anumber of institutions have been set up by thosewho are primarily known for their role and staturein industry e.g. industrialists, business magnates etc.Similarly these business people predominantlyoccupy key positions on the boards of educationalinstitutions. As part of the lucrative package, theyoften sponsor buildings, furniture and equipmentand expect on-campus use of their company’sproducts alone to market the image of theircompany amongst the s takeholders o f theinstitution.

Education, in its existing state, can be dubbed asa big supermarket where the transactions continueto depict a ‘bullish trend’. Let us further unpackthe metaphor of market and see how it can beapplied to education. We start with the aims ofeducation. Although there are different notions

regarding the aims of education, most of thecontemporary educational initiatives are totallymoney driven. Education has emerged as a verygood ‘business’ which has tremendous demand inthe market, with private sector successfullydominating. Given the ‘efficiency’ of the privatesector, a large number of educational institutionshave emerged as ‘industrial zones’ or ‘productionunits’ whose sole aim is to maximize profits byproducing more.

Teachers in this supermarket model are reduced tosales persons whose job is to deal with studentspolitely and deliver the ‘goods’. As labor isexploited in a free market, the teachers are madeto work for long hours and in return get lowsalaries. Also the salaries given to young teachersin renowned school chains of Pakistan are low-scaled as compared to the work and job pressuresthey are subjected to. One very important aspectof neo-liberalism is to keep the jobs insecure.Nowadays more and more teachers are hired oncontracts and at higher education level, they areusually appointed as part time employees. Thetemporary and insecure jobs not only bodes wellfor the owners in terms o f money (as thecontracted teachers are not eligible for the benefitsenjoyed by regular employees) but also in terms ofmaintaining pressure on the employees for contractrenewal. Similarly, if teachers join good privateschools for internship they are given no salaries.

The concept of knowledge in the supermarketculture of education is reduced to a commodity.An analogy can be drawn between the supermarketeconomy and the schools, as they are run today:

Although thereare different

notionsregarding the

aims ofeducation, most

of thecontemporary

educationalinitiatives aretotally money

driven.

30

Only those items are kept in a super store whichare in popular demand. The subjects offered inhigher education are determined by the ‘marketforces’ – hot items being IT and managementrelated courses. Since subjects like humanities andsocial sciences are not market driven, they areconveniently removed from the curriculum. Fancytags on products attract customers. Giving fancytitles to subjects to fascinate ‘customers’ (students),e.g. e-commerce, e-management, has become anorm in higher education institutions especiallybusiness schools. The outlook of a superstore playsan important part in business. Schools make specialefforts to ‘look good’. When parents visit schoolsfor admission, they are immediately taken aroundin order to ‘sell’ the school environment to them.Expanding business operations by opening newbranches and outlets is a typical practice in thecorporate sector. Schools have also become ‘chains’by opening new campuses rapidly; withoutnecessarily maintaining the quality/standards ofeducation delivered.

Lesson plans and teaching methodologies are moreand more being homogenized. They are preparedat a central place and dished out to differentschool branches, spread out across a particulargeographical region. This approach underestimatesthe individual role of teachers and reduces theirrole to that of consumers.

In any corporation, enhanced productivity thatleads to maximum profit is the ultimate aim.Similarly, in the corporatized culture of education,quantification plays an important role. The moreyou produce, the more you earn. Increasingly,educational institutions are enrolling a large numberof students much beyond their capacity. Anotherexample is the high accessibility to degrees likePhD which in the past were considered rare. Thequality of education (both in terms of delivery andcontent) is easily compromised to accommodate theburgeoning student population to ensure greaterf low of money to the inst i tut ion’s budget .

The students in this scenario are the customerswho buy knowledge as a sold ‘commodity’. As thefamous rule of business goes, customer is always

right, therefore, students hold a central place inany education related mandate. The teachers (whoare acting as sales persons in the corporate cultureof education) are in the most miserable position.They face pressures from the owners of theeducational institutions and from the parents, whoare paying exorbitant amount of fees. The studentsusually exploit the situation; they do what theyplease both in terms of discipline and studies.Teachers have become helpless creatures who aremere workers in the production unit of educationand can easily be fired by the management on anycomplaint by the ‘customers’.

The concept of hierarchy plays a central role inthe corporate culture. The structures of oureducat ional inst i tut ions are a l so based onauthoritarianism. There is invariably a top personwhose will is the final authority and whose wordsare the ultimate rules.

The kind of curriculum which is popular withprivate institutions is competency based. Theobjective of such a curriculum is to aim for a setof competencies which are required to succeed inthe working world. The role of assessment in thecorporate culture of education is confined toquantifiable and tangible items with especialemphasis on monitoring teachers whose every moveis checked in the name of quality auditing.

The scenario of total commodification of educationneeds to be revisited and transformed. Here aresome suggestions:1. The link between education and industry can

be quite productive but educational institutionsshould not be influenced and ruled by theindustrial and business magnates whoseperspectives drastically differ from those of theeducationists.

2. It is important that subjects should be offeredkeeping in view the contemporary needs ofsociety. Nevertheless, leaving the choice fullyto the market forces can be very detrimental.For inculcating basic human values, which areso crucial for a society, we need to encouragehumanit ies and social sc iences as wel l .

3. It is good to encourage private sector tocontribute to education but there should besome check by the government to monitorthe i r academic and f inanc ia l po l i c i e s .

4. Teacher is the most important player in theprocess of education. The exploitation ofteachers needs to end. The teachers need tocollaborate and establish professional forums sothat their voices could be heard.

5. Curriculum should not be geared towardscompetencies only. It should also strive totarget some societal objectives.

EDUCATIONR E T H I N K I N G

Lesson plans and teaching methodologies aremore and more being homogenized. They areprepared at a central place and dished out todifferent school branches, spread out across aparticular geographical region. This approachunderestimates the individual role of teachersand reduces their role to that of consumers.

31

Commercialism101:

An Introduction to the Corporatization ofEducation and the False Heroism Implied Therein

TRACY THOMPSON KHAN

inadequacy of government funding, have turned to commercialsponsors for support. According to a 2001 survey in the US on behalfof the National Association of Secondary School Principals, 92% ofprincipals surveyed feel that schools should use business partners tosupplement funding shortages and support educational programs. Onthe other hand, on ethical and principled grounds, progressives almostu n i v e r s a l l y o p p o s e c o r p o r a t e s p o n s o r s h i p o f e d u c a t i o n .

The Scent of MoneyIn the US, Australia, Canada, and Britain, education administratorsare trying desperately to close the gap between inadequate governmentfunding and high testing standards/the desirability of quality education.In order to provide schools and universities with furnishings,equipment, and teaching materials beyond the limits of governmentallocations, administrators solicit funds from so-called ‘corporatepartners’.

Corporate cash is a substantial lure. The e-brochure of the PowaySchool District in San Diego CA, How To Become A Partner InEducation, cites the following contributions received, among manyothers, from several different business concerns during 2000 – 2001:g A donation to the District's Reading Recovery program for $16,500.g Teleconferencing equipment totaling $12,990.g 33 Mavica digital cameras totaling $19,800.g Fu r n i t u r e a n d c o m p u t e r h a r d w a r e v a l u e d a t $ 5 , 2 7 5 .

In another example, The City of Ottawa in Canada solicits what itca l l s Communi ty Sponsor sh ipOpportunities, asking for businesssupport at several levels. A $10,000or more Plat inum CommunitySponsor contribution goes to feedthe children at three local schoolsfor a year.

he School of Damsel inD i s t r e s s a t N e l lUniversity is strapped for

m o n e y . A n o t h e r o f i t sworthwhile educational pursuitshas been tied to the tracks, andthe Budget Cut Train is bearingdown hard. Enter Dudley Do-right Incorporated, stopping thelocomotive with a mountain ofcash just in time to save theprogram from certain oblivion.So where are the cheers ofHurrah? Does no one supportour valiant hero? Will educationadministrators succeed in coaxingDudley to save them from theirnext impending catastrophe? Orwill those pesky progressivethinkers foil them next time?

THE BASICSEducation Administrators vs.ProgressivesIt is ironic that, in the debateover the corporat i zat ion ofe d u c a t i o n , b o t h s i d e s a r eshooting at the same target: thedesire for students to be suppliedwith quality learning programs,f a c i l i t i e s , e q u i p m e n t , a n do p p o r t u n i t i e s . E d u c a t i o nadministrators , t i red of the

T

EDUCATIONR E T H I N K I N G

T R A C Y T H O M P S O N K H A N

Tracy Thompson Khan is an Islamabadbased newspaper columnist and teacherof l i terature, communicat ions, andmathematics. Her weekly column, GreyMatters, appears in The News everyMonday.

32

Yo u H a v e t o G i v e t o G e tBut there is no such thing as afree lunch, especially when it’sserved up on a platinum platter.In order to attract businesssponsors, schools and universitiesare willing to cough up all kindsof perks in return.g The Vanderbilt University in

Nashvi l le TN wi l l “a l lowfaculty and graduate studentsto work on specific researchprojects for corporations,” andwill “work with your firm tohelp you meet your specificworkforce strategy.”

g The University of Illinois atU r b a n a – C h a m p a g n epromises that “Development ofundergraduate curricula can beenhanced e i ther throughd e s i g n a t e d g i f t s o r a nunrestricted grant.”

g The University of Virginia –McIntire School of Commerceclaims that its “CorporatePartners Program providesparticipants with a competitiverecruiting advantage” ando f f e r s c o r p o r a t i o n s t h eo p p o r t u n i t y t o s e t u p“ M c I n t i r e C e n t e r s –established independently,typically when a corporationor an organization generouslydonates funds to the McIntireSchool to foster further studyin a specific functional area.”

At primary and secondary level,corporate sponsors are allowed topenetrate schools in a muchmore direct fashion, including:g M a t h t e x t b o o k s w i t h

problems based on brand-nameproducts.

g Corporate-prepared educationalmaterials that are reported toconta in vary ing leve l s o finaccura te o r mi s l ead inginformation.

g Advertising space in schoolhallways, on school buses, andi n s c h o o l l o c k e r r o o m s .

g Broadcasting of corporate-prepared news programs ond o n a t e d a u d i o - v i s u a lequipment.

In the City of Ottawa example,Platinum Community Sponsorsare given “an original work ofart from a student,” and aredeclared “a local hero/ine tochildren in the City of Ottawa.”

Progressives Speak OutT h o s e o p p o s i n g t h ecorporatization of education saythat business sponsorships comea t t o o h i g h a p r i c e . B ysupporting or endowing only theeducational programs of theirown choice, corporations are bydefinition shaping school andcollege curricula to suit theiro w n n e e d s a n d d e s i r e s , i nparticular, steering funding awayfrom less popular and moreexpensive courses. Corporationsnaturally want to transmogrifyco l lege s tudents in to idea lemployees, and so will financeonly those research projects,courses, and areas of study thatare of interest to themselves.

As for school children, parentsm a y n o t b e a w a r e o f t h econtent and quantity of directand indirect advertising aimed attheir children while they are ats c h o o l . E x p o s i n g k i d s t ocorporate messages while atschool takes them out of thestudent realm wherein they learnto deal with the different facetsand challenges of life, and limitsthem to being merely l i t t leconsumers and potential cogs inthe corporate machinery. Inaddition, when kids are exposed

to adver t i s ing w i thout thecensorious presence of theirparents, it can fuel their desirefor products that their parentsmay wish them to avoid (suchas fast food, expensive brandname clothing, and medications,)t h u s u n d e r m i n i n g t h eguiding/nurturing role of parents.

T H E C O R P O R A T EFACTORIt is interesting to note thatc o r p o r a t i o n s h a v e q u i e t l yabsented themselves from thebat t le over the regu la t ion ,implementation, ethicality, legality,a n d m o r a l i t y o f c o r p o r a t econtributions to education. Yet,as they hand out money, theyare forever changing the face ofeducation.

T h e M y t h o f C o r p o r a t ePhilanthropyAccording to most economists,t h e r e i s n o s u c h t h i n g a sc o r p o r a t e p h i l a n t h r o p y. Acorporation’s loyalty is to thef i n a n c i a l i n t e r e s t s o f i t ss h a r e h o l d e r s . D e f i n e d b yWikipedia as “a legal, artificialentity owned by stockholders,” acorporation is supposed to beinhuman, soulless, acting solelyto further its own interests – asper Milton Friedman’s famouspaper, The Social Responsibilityof Business is to Increase itsProfits. As per Noam Chomsky,“Corporations are not benevolentsocieties.” As per Edward, LordThurlow, “Corporations haveneither bodies to be punishednor souls to be damned.” As perHenry Giroux, “The power ofcorporate culture, when left to

EDUCATIONR E T H I N K I N G

It is interesting to note that corporations have quietly absentedthemselves from the battle over the regulation, implementation,

ethicality, legality, and morality of corporate contributions to education.

33

its own devices, respects fewboundaries and even fewer basicsocial needs.”

Corporat ions seem to haveaccepted these stigmas withequanimity, and happily embarkon all the rotten scoundrelyactivities they are expected toindulge in – including sponsoringe d u c a t i o n s o a s t o m o l dstudents, schools, and universitiesto enhance their own profit-making abilities.

A W e a l t h o f I n t a n g i b l e sBy picking and choosing theeducational institutions andprograms it wishes to support, acorporation gets a bargain for itsbuck. Seen by progressives asopportunists taking advantage ofthe financial plight of schoolsand universities, corporations useeducational sponsorships andendowments to achieve severalgoals at once:g They bu i ld themse lve s a

ta i lor-made workforce bygiving support to students ina rea s o f co rpora te need ,

g They gain a captive audienceby marketing their products inthe inescapable environmentof school.

g They drastically cut their ownresearch costs by incorporatingcompany research needs intouniversity programs.

g They change curriculum tos u i t t h e i r o w n n e e d s b ychoosing what to fund or notto fund.

g They break down the supportsystems of educational facilitiesby encouraging the use of

part-time, temporary, easilyreplaceable teaching staff.

THE UPSHOTSilence of the LambsEthical dilemmas sit comfortablyin the laps of those who are toolazy, shortsighted, or hedonisticto stand up and confront theunrighteous. At the crux of thisparticular issue lies our unhealthypreoccupation with money to theexclusion of all else. All the fuss

and hullabaloo over the controland implications of corporate-sponsored education could veryeasily be avoided if only thep u b l i c w o u l d i n s i s t t h a tgovernment devote more taxd o l l a r s t o e d u c a t i o n , t h u sprecluding the need for corporatecontributions. As is, driven bythe need to drum up supportfor worthwhi le educat ionalprograms that should ethically bef i n a n c e d b y g o v e r n m e n t ,education administrators havebeen reduced to strutting ands t ro l l ing and ba t t ing the i reyelashes like beauty pageantcontestants vying for the nextglittering trophy to roll off thecorporate truck.

With Heroes Like These, WhoNeeds Villains?The idea of the corporation asa h e r o t o b e c o u r t e d a n dp lacated , and ca l l ed on toselflessly rescue the fragile tenetsof education is baseless myth. Toclassify corporations as non-human entities and thus release

t h e m f r o m t h e i r e t h i c a lresponsibilities is like blaming acar for an accident and not itsdriver.

It is pure moral lassitude tofatalistically accept the anti-social, self-serving behavior ofcorporations as inevitable. It’stime to redefine our expectationsof corporations to acknowledgethe fact that they are run byhuman be ings – by us , thecorporat ions ’ shareholders ,employees, and consumers. Our

obsess ion wi th making andsaving money as we serve ine a c h o f t h e s e r o l e s h a scompelled us to willful silence inthe face of corporate misdeeds.

Lies, Damned Lies, and SadisticsThe lie of the corporation as anamoral, suprahuman entity hasbeen told so many times that ithas become truth. We ignoret h e e t h i c a l v i o l a t i o n s o fcorporations because we WANTt o i g n o r e t h e m , b e c a u s ecompetition for customers andsales supports the committing ofthese violations in the interestof making money.

Corporations are not performingselfless acts of heroism on behalfof education when they fork outfinancial support; we as theb u i l d i n g b l o c k s o f t h e s eorganizations need to recognizeand put a stop to the damagewe are causing ourselves byallowing business to mix withthe p l ea su re o f educa t ion .

© 2 0 0 3 Tr a c y T h o m p s o n K h a n

EDUCATIONR E T H I N K I N G

It is pure moral lassitude to fatalistically accept the anti-social,self-serving behavior of corporations as inevitable. Our obsessionwith making and saving money as we serve in each of these

roles has compelled us to willful silence in the face of corporatemisdeeds.

34

The cost of minerals and energy fell throughout the last century, untilaround the early 1970s. Studies indicate that since then real costs trendsmight have begun to rise. The energy cost of getting minerals and energyis likely to rise at 2-3% per annum from here on, i.e., to double each25 years. If technical advance were gaining on these problems the costswould be falling.

Often technical advance is unable to overcome losses due to ecologicaldeterioration. The amount of land farmed, and the amount irrigated areeither stable or declining. World average yields for major crops are stableor falling, despite ever-increasing inputs. Nearly all the majorenvironmental studies of the last decade have concluded that access tofood and agricultural products willbecome more difficult and expensive.Even for items where production isincreasing, this is often achieved byrapidly increasing inputs of energy etc.,meaning that in many important caseswe are experiencing sharply diminishingreturns. For example the world’s fishcatch increased slowly in the decadeto 1980 but the required effort, suchas the number and tonnage of fishingvessels, has increased much morerap id ly, about 60% in 20 year s .Increases in the efficiency of manyprocesses, e.g., generation of electricityor production of ammonia, havetapered over time and the overallproductivity of investment has fallenconsiderably.

But Can'tTechnology Solve

the Problems?TED TRAINER

he essential issue set byt h e l i m i t s t o g r o w t hargument is whether or

not it will be possible for us togo on living as affluently as wedo now, with ‘living standards’ andthe GNP constantly rising as theyears go by. The ‘technical fix’optimists believe that this will bepossible because technical advancesw i l l b e m a d e t o s o l v e t h eproblems that our way of life isgenerating. Official statements on‘Environmental ly SustainableDevelopment’ are always based onthis assumption. A strong case canbe put against this view.

Technology is FallingBehindDespite technical advance, almostall the serious global problems arebecoming more acute. Technologyis not solving the problems and iti s becoming more and moredifficult to do things like delivera barrel of oil or catch a tonneof fish; i.e., more costly in dollarand resource terms.

DEVELOPMENTR E T H I N K I N G

T

Ted Trainer teaches at the University ofNew Sou t h Wa l e s . He i s one o fAustral ia’s foremost environmentalcampaigners. Trainer has called for anew movement towards ‘eco-villages’ asa way to t each the pub l i c abou tsustainable alternatives.

T E D T R A I N E R

35

The Magnitude of theTaskThe technical fix optimists usually failto recognize the magnitude of thetasks this view involves.

Firstly, surely they would agree thatwe should be talking about ways of

living that all can share; surely ourconcern is not just working out howa few people in rich countries cango on living well while the rest arepoor. If so, then we are at leasttalking about a world in which 10-11 billion people, and that meansthat most re source supp ly andpollution problems would be at least10 times as big as they are now. Inother words, the challenge is not just

“can technology go on meeting thepresent demands?” but “can it meet10 times these demands, indefinitely?”If the goal is to lift all people to theliving standards rich countries willhave by 2060, assuming 3-4% perannum growth , then technica ladvance would have to del iverhundreds of times of the presentlevels of production.

DEVELOPMENTR E T H I N K I N G36

More importantly, right now mostpeople are seriously deprived ofa fair share of the worlds'

resources. Every daypeople in rich

countries go onhogging most

of theresourcesandbindingThirdWorld

people to aglobaleconomywhich doesnot developwhat theyneed...

The Long List of TasksIn order to make our present way oflife possible for us through comingdecades, let alone for all people, al o n g l i s t o f m a j o r t e c h n i c a lbreakthroughs would have to bemade, many in fields where there isno prospect of this despite muchresearch. Solar cells would have tobe produced at far below theirpresent cost, ways of conductingmodern agriculture reversing themany forms of soil damage wouldhave to be invented, a new fuel foraircraft would have to be introduced,vast new capaci ty for dumpinggarbage and industrial waste wouldhave to be created, etc. It should bestressed that even if many of thesehuge breakthroughs were made,failure in any one of the severalcrucial areas would mean that ourway of life could not be continuedor extended to all. For instance, nom a t t e r h o w m a n y o t h e rbreakthroughs were made, if a liquidfuel to substitute for oil can’t bedeveloped then modern agricultureand the c i t i e s i t f eeds cannotcontinue on anything like the scalethey take now.

GrowthThe technical fix optimists' task getsworse by at least 3% per annum.Anyone who assumes we can go onas we are now is saying we cansustain at least 3% per annum moreeconomic activity every year. Thatmeans 8 times as much productionand consumption every year by 2060,(or if we assume 5% per annumgrowth unt i l then, 32 t imes asmuch.) Sooner or later continuedeconomic growth will outweigh anyp l a u s i b l e a d v a n c e s i n e n e r g yconservation or pollution reduction.

The limits to growth argument isthat present levels of production andconsumption are causing unsustainabledamage to the environment so weshould be doing all we can not just

to stop growth in the amount ofproduction and consumption, but toreduce present levels.

Recycling and SubstitutesThe technical-fix position is at itsstrongest regarding the difference thatrecycling and substitutes might make.However a considerable proportion ofmany items is already recycled (morethan half of iron and steel produced)and it will be increasingly difficulta n d c o s t l y t o r e c y c l e h i g h e rproportions, especially in view of theenergy cost of collection.

Technical advance will surely developsubstitutes for many uses of scarcethings, but again the magnitude ofthe task and the costs are the mainissues. Australians use about 450 kgof steel per person per year. Fromwhat substance might we derivesubstitutes for such a volume of thisvery energy-costly material, and arethey likely to have anything like thesame properties? Their energy costcould be even higher, e .g. , formaterials made from cellulose, plasticor silica.

The Question of TimeEven if we could see that varioustechnologies would eventually makeit possible for all people to live aswe do it would probably take manydecades, possibly a century to reachthat situation. But there seems to belittle doubt that soils, species, forests,

waters and ecosystems cannot toleratethe present rate of impact for manymore decades.

More importantly, right now mostpeople are seriously deprived of a fairshare of the worlds' resources. Everyday people in rich countries go onhogging most of the resources andbinding Third World people to aglobal economy which does notdevelop what they need, at least50,000 people die as a result of thisdeprivation. Even if we could seethat technology would in time beable to provide our living standardsto all, obviously it does not followthat the present situation should beaccepted until then. There is anurgent need to redistribute the worldwealth immediately.

Many Problems Are NotTechnicalMany of our most serious problems,especially to do with hunger, povertyand deprivation, are due to unjustsocial arrangements, i.e., to the factthat the rich few are taking most ofthe ava i lab le re sources . Theseproblems cannot be solved by thedevelopment of better technology; infact they could be made worse. Int h e G r e e n R e v o l u t i o n p l a n t ,technologists bred more productivegra ins , g reat l y increas ing foodavailability, but one consequence wasthat many people actually becamem o r e h u n g r y b e c a u s e r i c h e rlandowners saw the opportunity to

37

Many of our most serious problems,especially to do with hunger, poverty and

deprivation, are due to unjust socialarrangements, i.e., to the fact that the rich

few are taking most of the availableresources. These problems cannot be solvedby the development of better technology; in

fact they could be made worse.

DEVELOPMENTR E T H I N K I N G

increase their incomes using the newtechno logy and pushed tenantpeasants off their leases in order toincrease planted areas. Hence a newtechnology can easily worsen thesituation of poorer people if it isintroduced into unjust social systems.Similarly if the technology to minethe sea economically were to bedeveloped, in the present worldeconomy the few rich countrieswould be the only ones who couldafford it and they would surelyp r o c e e d t o g r a b m o s t o f t h eaccessible resources.

A Statement of FaithIt is not possible for the technical fixopt imis t s to show how we wi l ldefinitely be able to solve the bigproblems. At present there are noplausible solutions to many of theproblems. What the technical fixo p t i m i s t s a r e u s u a l l y d o i n g i sexpressing the faith that somethingwill turn up or be invented to headoff the problems our behavior is

DEVELOPMENTR E T H I N K I N G

Institute for Education Policy Studies

h t tp : / /www. i ep s . o rg .uk/

The Inst itute for Education Pol icyStudies i s an independent Radicalinstitute for developing analysis ofeducation policy. It critiques global,national, neo-liberal, neo-conservative,N e w L a b o u r , T h i r d W a y , a n dpostmodernist analyses and policy. Ita t tempts to deve lop democrat i ctransformative policy for schooling andeducation.

The Founder Director o f IEPS i sProfessor Dave Hill, the Deputy Directori s Pro fessor Peter McLaren . TheAssociate of the IEPS is Dr ChristineFox.Contact:

Dave Hill (IEPS) University College Northampton Boughton Green RdNorthampton NN2 7AL UKEmail: dave.hill@northampton.ac.ukdave.hill@ieps.org.uk

lung disease that smoking makesmuch wor se , bu t I s t i l l smokebecause you never know, they mightsoon find a cure for this disease”.The limits to growth argument isthat the sensible thing to do is toget off the track that is leading toserious trouble, at least until it isquite clear that technology has founda way for us to continue safely.

T h e r e i s O n l y O n eProblemAt first when we look at the globalpredicament we are in we mightt h i n k w e h a v e m a n y s e p a r a t eproblems, e.g., an environment,energy, peace, Third World and aquality of life problem. But when weexamine these problems from thelimits to growth perspective wer e a l i z e t h a t a l l a r e p r i m a r i l yconsequences of the commitment toendless growth on the part of theoverproducing, overconsuming andoverdeveloped countries.

There is in other words only oneproblem; the basic cause of the manyserious problems we face is ourmindless commitment to a growthand greed society. There is thereforeone neat and simple solution –change to a conserver society whichdoes no t gene ra te the se manyproblems!

The interconnectedness of the sub-problems should also be stressed. Forexample we can’t expect to solve theforest destruction problem unlesssatisfactory development is initiatedin Bo l i v i a , B ra z i l and Cent ra lAmerica where poverty obliges peopleto clear rainforest. We cannot expectto solve the greenhouse problemunless the Chinese can be convincedthat there is a satisfactory non-urban-industrialized development path theycould take and can see the richcountries taking it. We cannot expectpeace until there is far greater justicein the world, and we cannot achievethat until rich countries agree toconsume less, and we cannot do that

minority of the opulent againstthe majority”. That’s the way thesystem was set up.

In the United States, around theturn of the century, throughradical judicial activism, the courtschanged crucially the concept ofthe corporation. They simplyredefined them so as to grant notonly privileges to property owners,but also to what legal historianscall ‘collectivist legal entities’.Corporations, in other words, weregranted early in this century therights of persons, in fact, immortalpersons, and persons of immensepower. And they were freed fromthe need to restrict themselves tothe grants o f s tate charters .

That’s a very big change. It’sessential ly establishing majorpr ivate tyrannies , which arefurthermore unaccountable, becauset h e y ’ r e p r o t e c t e d b y F i r s tAmendment rights, freedom fromsearch and seizure and so on, soyou can't figure out what they'redoing.

After the Second World War, itw a s w e l l u n d e r s t o o d i n t h ebusiness world that they werego ing to have to have s ta te

o our first question is, how significant do you see the skirmishes betweenthe Department of Justice and Microsoft? Do you see it as an importantturn of events?

We shouldn’t exaggerate it. If there are three major corporations controllingwhat is essentially public property and a public creation, namely the Internet,telecommunications, and so on, that’s not a whole lot better than onecorporation controlling, but it’s maybe a minor difference. The question isto what extent parasites like Microsoft should be parasites off the publicsystem, or should be granted any rights at all.

Give us a little bit of historical context. How does what’s happening withMicrosoft’s growing power, and its role in society fit into the history of Corporatepower, the evolution of corporations?

Here’s a brief history, a thumbnail sketch.

There were corporations as far back as the 18th century, and beyond. Inthe United States, corporations were public bodies. Basically, they wereassociations. A bunch of people could get together and say we want tobuild a bridge over this river, and could get a state charter which allowedthem to do that, precisely that and nothing more. The corporation had norights of individual persons. The model for the corporation back at the timeof the framing of the Constitution was a municipality. Through the 19thcentury, that began to change.

It’s important to remember that the constitutional system was not designedin the first place to defend the rights of people. Rather, the rights of peoplehad to be balanced, as Madison put it, against what he called ‘the rightsof property’. Well of course, property has no rights: my pen has no rights.Maybe I have a right to it, but the pen has no rights. So, this is just acode phrase for the rights of people with property. The constitutional systemwas founded on the principle that the rights of people with property haveto be privileged; they have rights because they’re people, but they also havespecial rights because they have property. As Madison put it in the

S

Noam ChomskyPerspectives on Corporate Power &

Communications TechnologyANNA COUEY AND JOSHUA KARLINER

39

MEDIA & TECHNOLOGYRETHINKING

coordination, subsidy, and a kind of socialization of costs and risks.The only question was how to do that. The method that was hit

upon pretty quickly was the ‘Pentagon system’ (including the DOE,AEC, NASA). These publicly-subsidized systems have been the

core of the dynamic sectors of the American economy ever since(much the same is true of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals,

etc., relying on different public sources). And that certainlyleads right to Microsoft.

So how does Microsoft achieve its enormous profits? Well,Bill Gates is pretty frank about it. He says they do it by

‘embracing and extending’ the ideas of others. They’re basedon computers, for example. Computers were created at public

expense and public initiative. In the 1950s when they werebeing developed, it was about 100% public expense. Thesame is true of the Internet. The ideas, the initiatives, thesoftware, the hardware – these were created for about 30 years

at public initiative and expense, and it's just now being handedover to guys like Bill Gates.

What are the social and cultural impacts of allowing, not only amonopoly, but even if it’s just a few large corporations, dominating

something as basic as human speech, communication with each other?It’s a form of tyranny. But, that’s the whole point of corporatization

– to try to remove the public from making decisions over theirown fate, to limit the public arena, to control opinion, to

make sure that the fundamental decisions that determinehow the world is going to be run – which includes

production, commerce, distribution, thought, socialpolicy, foreign policy, everything – are not

in the hands of the public, but ratherin the hands of highly concentrated

private power. In effect, tyrannyunaccountable to the public.

A n d t h e r e a r e v a r i o u smodalities for doing this.

O n e i s t o h a v e t h ecommunication system,the so-called informationsystem, in the hands ofa network of, fewer ormore doesn’t mattert h a t m u c h , p r i v a t etyrannies.

Let’s take the media.T h e s e a r e c o r p o r a t e

media, overwhelmingly.Even the so-called public

media are not very different.T h e y a r e j u s t h u g e

corporations that sell audiencesto advertisers in other businesses.

And they're supposed to constitutethe communications system. It’s not

complicated to figure out what’s going

MEDIA & TECHNOLOGYR E T H I N K I N G40

So how does Microsoft achieve itsenormous profits? Well, Bill Gates ispretty frank about it. He says theydo it by ‘embracing and extending’

the ideas of others.

to come out of this. That includes also the entertainmentindustries, so-called, the various modalities for divertingpeople from the public arena, and so on.

And there are new things happening all the time. Likethere’s a dramatic example, that’s the MultilateralAgreement on Investment (MAI). The negotiations havebeen going on in secret for about three years. It’sessentially a huge corporate power play, trying to give‘investors’ – that doesn’t mean the guy working on theshop floor, it means the board of directors of GE, ofMerrill Lynch, and so on – to give investors extraordinaryrights. That’s being done in secret because the peopleinvolved, which is the whole business communityincidentally, know that the public is going to hate it. Sotherefore the media are keeping it secret. And it’s anastonishing feat to keep quiet about what everyone knowsto be a major set of decisions, which are going to lockcountries into certain arrangements. It’ll prevent publicpolicy. Now you can argue that it’s a good thing, a badthing, you can argue what you like, but there’s no doubtabout how the public is going to react, and there’s nodoubt about the fact that the media, which have beenwell aware of this from the beginning have succeeded invirtually not mentioning it.

How would a company like Microsoft benefit from the MAI?They could move capital freely. They could invest itwhere they like. There would be no restrictions onanything they do. A country, or a town, like say,Cambridge, Massachusetts, where I live, where I work,could not impose conditions on consumer protection,environmental control, investment and set-asides forminorities or women, you name it, that would be ruledout.

Now exactly how far this would go depends on thedisposition to enforce it. These things are not determinedby words. There’s nothing in the Constitution, or theamendments to the Constitution, which allows privatetyrannies to have the right to personhood. It’s just power,not the wording. What the MAI would mean in practicedepends on what the power relations are, like whetherpeople object to it so strenuously they won’t allow it tohappen, maybe by riots, or whatever. So those are theterms that they're going to try to impose.

A crucial element of this is what they call the ratcheteffect; that is existing legislation is to be allowed, but it

has to be removed over time. It has to be rolled back,and no new legislation can be introduced conflicting withthe rights of Microsoft to do anything they like in theinternational arena, or domestically. Well over time that’ssupposed to have a ratchet effect, to turn the world overmore and more in the hands of the major privatetyrannies, like Microsoft, with their alliances andinteractions.

Economist Brian Arthur argues that with the rapidly changingnature of technology, no one will remain in a monopolyposition for long, so that monopoly power in the technologyindustries is different than what we’ve historically seen, andis nothing to worry about.But there never was monopoly power; or there very rarelywas monopoly power. Take highly concentrated powersystems, like the energy industries. But they’re not strictlyspeaking monopolies. Shell and Exxon are competitors.This is a highly managed system of market administration,with enormous state power entering in the interests of asmall collection of private tyrannies.

It’s very rare to find a real monopoly. AT&T was amonopoly for a time, that’s why it could create thingslike the transistor, for example. It was a monopoly, sotherefore they could charge high rates. But that’s certainlyunusual.

Do you think the whole monopoly issue is something to beconcerned about?These are oligopolies; they are small groups of highlyconcentrated power systems which are integrated with oneanother. If one of them were to get total control of somesystem, other powers probably wouldn’t allow it. In fact,that’s what you’re seeing.

How has the transfer from the public to the private spherechanged the Internet?As long as the Internet was under control of thePentagon, it was free. People could use it freely [for]information sharing. That remained true when it stayedwithin the s tate sector of the Nat ional ScienceFoundation.

As late as about 1994, people like say, Bill Gates, hadno interest in the Internet. He wouldn’t even go toconferences about it, because he didn’t see a way to makea profit from it. Now it's being handed over to private

MEDIA & TECHNOLOGYR E T H I N K I N G 41

They want to control access, and that’s a large part of Microsoft’s efforts:control access in such a way that people who access the Internet will beguided to things that they want, like home marketing service, or diversion,

or something or other.

corporations, and they tell you pretty much what theywant to do. They want to take large parts of the Internetand cut it out of the public domain altogether, turn itinto intranets, which are fenced off with firewalls, andu s e d s i m p l y f o r i n t e r n a l c o r p o r a t e o p e r a t i o n s .

They want to control access, and that’s a large part ofMicrosoft’s efforts: control access in such a way thatpeople who access the Internet will be guided to thingsthat they want, like home marketing service, or diversion,or something or other. If you really know exactly whatyou want to find, and have enough information andenergy, you may be able to find what you want. But theywant to make that as difficult as possible. And that’sperfectly natural. If you were on the board of directorso f Microsof t , sure , that’ s what you’d t ry to do.

Well, you know, these things don't have to happen. Thepublic institution created a public entity which can bekept under public control. But that's going to mean a lotof hard work at every level.

What would it look like if it were under public control?It would look like it did before, except much moreaccessible because more people would have access to it.And with no constraints. People could just use it freely.That has been done, as long as it was in the publicdomain. It wasn’t perfect, but it had more or less theright kind of structure. That's what Microsoft and otherswant to destroy.

We are curious about this potential for many-to-manycommunications, and the fact that software, as a way of doingthings carries cultural values, and impacts language andperception. And what kind of impacts there are around havingtechnology being developed by corporations such as Microsoft.?I don’t think there’s really any answer to that. It dependswho’s participating, who’s active, who’s influencing thedirection of things, and so on. If it’s being influenced andcontrolled by the Disney Corporation and others it willreflect their interests. If there is largely public initiative,then it will reflect public interests.

So i t ge t s ba ck t o the ques t i on o f t ak ing i t ba ck .That’s the question. Ultimately it’s a question of whetherdemocracy is going to be allowed to exist, and to whatextent. And it’s entirely natural that the business world,along with the state, which they largely dominate, wouldwant to limit democracy. It threatens them. It always hasbeen threatening. That’s why we have a huge publicrelations industry dedicated to, as they put it, controllingthe public mind.

What kinds of things can people do to try to expand andreclaim democracy and the public space from corporations?Well, the first thing they have to do is find out what’s

happening to them. So i f you have none of thatinformation, you can’t do much. For example, it’simpossible to oppose, say, the Multilateral Agreement onInvestment, if you don’t know it exists. That’s the pointof the secrecy. You can’t oppose the specific form ofglobalization that’s taking place, unless you understand it.You’d have to not only read the headlines which saymarket economy’s triumphed, but you also have to readAlan Greenspan, the head of the Federal Reserve, whenhe’s talking internally; when he says, look the health ofthe economy depends on a wonderful achievement thatwe’ve brought about, namely ‘worker insecurity’. That’shis term. Worker insecurity – that is not knowing ifyou’re going to have a job tomorrow. It is a great boonfor the health of the economy because it keeps wagesdown. It's great: it keeps profits up and wages down.

Well, unless people know those things, they can’t domuch about them. So the first thing that has to be doneis to create for ourselves, for the population, systems ofinterchange, interaction, and so on. Like Corporate Watch,Public Citizen, other popular groupings, which provide tothe public the kinds of information and understandingthat they won't otherwise have. After that they have tostruggle against it, in lots of ways which are open tothem. And it should aim, in my opinion, not just atnarrow questions, like preventing monopoly, but also atdeeper questions, like why do private tyrannies have rightsaltogether?

What do you think about the potential of all the alternativemedia that's burgeoning on the Internet, given the currenttrends?That’s a matter for action, not for speculation. It’s likeasking 40 years ago what’s the likelihood that we’d havea minimal health care system. These things happen ifpeople struggle for them. The business world, Microsoft,they’re highly class conscious. They’re basically vulgarMarxists, who see themselves engaged in a bitter classstruggle. Of course they’re always going to be at it. Thequestion is whether they have that field to themselves.And the deeper question is whether they should beallowed to participate; I don’t think they should.

MEDIA & TECHNOLOGYR E T H I N K I N G42

Ultimately it’s a question of whetherdemocracy is going to be allowed to exist,

and to what extent. And it’s entirelynatural that the business world, along

with the state, which they largelydominate, would want to limit democracy.

It threatens them. It always has beenthreatening.

ne of the most important legacies of public education hasbeen to provide students with the critical capacities, theknowledge, and the values to become active citizens striving

to realize a vibrant democratic society. Within this tradition, schoolingis defined as a public good and a fundamental right (Dewey, 1916;Giroux, 1988). Such a definition rightfully asserts the primacy ofdemocratic values over corporate culture and commercial values.

Schools are an important indicator of the well-being of a democraticsociety. They remind us of the civic values that must be passed onto young people in order for them to think critically; to participatein policy decisions that affect their lives; and to transform the racial,social, and economic inequities that close down democratic socialrelations. Yet, as crucial as the role of public schooling has been inhistory, this role is facing an unprecedented attack from proponents

of market ideology who stronglyadvocate the unparalleled expansionof corporate culture (Molnar, 1996a;Pecora, 1998; Consumer UnionEducation Services, 1998).

Preparing Citizens orConsumers?Growing up corporate has becomea way of life for youth. This isev ident a s co rpora te merge r sconsolidate control of assets andmarke t s , pa r t i cu l a r l y a s suchcorporations extend their influenceover the media and its managementof public opinion. But it is alsoa p p a r e n t i n t h e a c c e l e r a t e dcommercialism in everyday life,including the “commercialization of

Education

EDUCATORSC R I T I C A L

O

H E N R Y G I R O U X

Henry A. Giroux is currently teaching atPennsylvania State University. ProfessorGiroux has published extensively in awide-ranging number of scholarly journalsand books. Giroux is internationallyrenowned fo r h i s work in c r i t i ca lpedagogy and has published manybooks on the subject. He lectures widelyon a variety of cultural, social andeducational issues in the United Statesand abroad.

From the management of public schools to the content of the curriculum, corporate valuesthreaten the democratic purposes of public education.

43

public schools, the renaming ofpublic streets for commercialsponsors, [and even] restroomadvertising” (Wright, 1997, p.181). Although many observersrecognize that market cultureexercises a powerful role inshaping identities, it still comesas a shock when an increasingnumber of young people, whenasked to provide a definition fordemocracy, answer by referring to“ t h e f r e e d o m t o b u y a n dconsume whatever they wish,without government restriction”(Wright, 1997, p. 182).

Growing up corporate suggeststhat as commercia l cul turereplaces public culture, thelanguage of the market becomesa substitute for the language ofdemocracy. At the same time,commercial culture erodes civils o c i e t y a s t h e f u n c t i o n o fschooling shifts from creating a“democracy of citizens [to] ademocracy of consumers” (Grace,1997, p. 315). One consequenceis that consumerism appears tobe the only kind of citizenshipbeing offered to children andadults.

Our youth are absorbing themost dangerous aspects of the

HENRY GIROUX

Incorporated?

44

commercialization of everyday life. Within corporatemodels of schooling, young people are now subjectto the same processes of ‘corporatization’ that haveexcluded all but the most profitable and mostefficient from the economic life of the nation. Nolonger representing a cornerstone of democracy,schools within an ever-aggressive corporate cultureare reduced to new investment opportunities, justas students represent a captive market and newopportunities for profits. And the stakes are high.Educat ion becomes less a force for soc ia limprovement than a force for commercia linvestment. Such education promises a high yieldand substantive returns for those young peopleprivileged enough to have the resources and thepower to make their choices matter—and itbecomes a grave loss for those who lack theresources to participate in this latest growthindustry.

Corporate Models of SchoolingAccording to the Education Industry Directory, thefor-profit education market represents potentialrevenue of $600 billion for corporate interests(Applebome, 1996). Not only is the corporatetakeover of schools rationalized in the name ofprofits and market efficiency alone, but it is alsolegitimated through the call for vouchers, privatizedchoice plans, and excellence. Although thisdiscourse cloaks itself in the democratic principlesof freedom, individualism, and consumer rights, itfails to provide the broader historical, social, andpolitical contexts necessary to make such principlesmeaningful and applicable, particularly with respectto the problems facing public schools. For instance,advocates of privatization and choice have littleto say about the relationship between choice andeconomic power, nor do they provide any contextto explain public school failure in recent decades.They ignore factors such as joblessness, poverty,racism, crumbling school structures, and unequalschool funding.

Refusing to address the financial inequities thathaunt public schools, advocates of the corporatemodel of schooling maintain ideas and images thatreek with the rhetoric of insincerity and thepolitics of social indifference. Most disturbing aboutthe market approach to schooling is not only thatit is bereft of a vocabulary of ethics and valuesbut also that it has the power to overridecompeting value systems. Such systems are notcommercial in nature but critical to a just society.Once-cherished educational imperatives thatenabled the capacity for democratic participation,social justice, and democratic relations – especiallyas countermeasures to the limits and excesses ofthe market – are ignored.

Commercialization in SchoolsCorporate culture does not reside only in theplacement of public schools in the control ofcorporate contractors. It is also visible in thegrowing commercialization of school space andcurriculums. Strapped for money, many publicschools have had to lease out space in theirhallways, buses, restrooms, and school cafeterias,transforming such spaces into glittering billboardsfor the highest corporate bidder (Consumer UnionEducation Services, 1998). School notices,classroom displays, and student artwork have beenreplaced by advertisements for Coca Cola, Pepsi,Nike, Hollywood films, and a litany of otherproducts. Invaded by candy manufacturers,breakfast cereal makers, sneaker companies, andfast food chains, schools increasingly offer the not-so-subtle message to students that everything isfor sale – including student identities, desires, andvalues.

Seduced by the lure of free equipment and money,schools all too readily make the transition fromallowing advertising to offering commercialmerchandise in the form of curricular materialsdesigned to build brand loyalty among membersof a captive public school audience. Althoughschools may reap small financial benefits from suchtransactions, the real profits go to the corporationswho spend millions on advertising to reach ayouth market o f an e s t imated 43 mi l l ionschoolchildren “with spending power of over $108billion per year and the power to influencepa ren ta l spend ing” (S ide s , 1996 , p . 36) .

Eager to attract young customers, companies suchas General Mills and Campbell Soup provide free

EDUCATORSR E T H I N K I N G

Most disturbing about the marketapproach to schooling is not only that itis bereft of a vocabulary of ethics andvalues but also that it has the power tooverride competing value systems. Suchsystems are not commercial in nature butcritical to a just society.

classroom materials that blatantly hawk theirproducts. For instance, “General Mills has sent8,000 teachers a science curriculum aboutvolcanoes entitled 'Gushers: Wonders of the Earth,'which uses the company's fruit Gushers candy”(Shenk, 1995, p. 52). Similarly, the WashingtonPost reported that McDonald's gives elementaryschools curriculum packages in which studentslearn how a McDonald's restaurant is run and, incase they miss the point about future jobs, howto apply for employment (Sanchez, 1998).

The Growing Disregard for PublicLifeAs market culture permeates the social order, itthreatens to diminish the tension between marketvalues and democratic values, such as justice;freedom; equality; respect for children; and therights of citizens as equal, free human beings.Without such values, students are relegated to therole of economic calculating machines, and thegrowing disregard for public life is left unchecked.

History has been clear about the dangers ofunbridled corporate power. Four hundred years ofslavery, ongoing through unofficial segregation; theexploitation of child labor; the sanctioning of cruelworking conditions in coal mines and sweatshops;and the destruction of the environment have allbeen fueled by the law of maximizing profits andminimizing costs. This is not to suggest thatcorporations are the enemy of democracy, but tohighlight the centrality of a strong democratic civilsociety that limits the reach of corporate culture.John Dewey (1916) r ightful ly argued thatdemocracy requires work, but that work is notsynonymous with democracy.

Education for Democratic LifeEducators, families, and community members needto reinvigorate the language, social relations, andpolitics of schooling. We must analyze how powershapes knowledge, how teaching broader socialvalues provides safeguards against turningcitizenship skills into workplace-training skills, andhow schooling can help students reconcile theseemingly opposing needs of freedom and solidarity.As educators, we need to examine alternativem o d e l s o f e d u c a t i o n t h a t c h a l l e n g e t h ecorporatization of public schools. For example,

pioneering educators such as Deborah Meier, TedSizer, James Comer, the Rethinking SchoolsCollective, and other groups are working hard tolink educational policies and classroom practicesto expand the scope of freedom, justice, anddemocracy.

Education as a moral and political practice alwayspresupposes a preparation for particular forms ofsocial life, a particular vision of community, anda particular version of the future. We must addressthe problems of public schooling in the realms ofvalues and politics, while holding firm to thepossibilities of public education in strengtheningthe practice of active citizenship (Boyte, 1992).Schooling should enable students to involvethemselves in the deepest problems of society, toacquire the knowledge, the skills, and the ethicalvocabulary necessary for what the philosopher andCzech president Vaclav Havel (1998) calls “therichest possible participation in public life” (p. 45).Havel's comments suggest that educators mustdefend schools as essential to the life of thenation because schools are one of the few publicspaces left where students can learn about ande n g a g e i n t h e ex p e r i e n c e o f d e m o c r a c y.

In the face of corporate takeovers, ongoingcommercialization of the curriculum, and growinginterest in students as consumers rather than ascitizens, educators must reassert the crucialimportance of public education.

Educators as Public IntellectualsThe corporatization of education reflects a crisisof vision regarding the meaning of democracy ata time when market cultures, market moralities,market mentalities [are] shattering community,eroding civic society, [and] undermining thenurturing system for children. (West, 1994, p. 42)

Yet, such a cris is also represents a uniqueopportunity for educators to connect the purpose

In the face of corporate takeovers,ongoing commercialization of the

curriculum, and growing interest instudents as consumers rather than as

citizens, educators must reassert thecrucial importance of public education.

EDUCATORSR E T H I N K I N G 45

of education to the expansion of democraticpractices in order to promote economic justiceand cultural diversity as a matter of politics,power, and pedagogy. As educators , i t i simportant to confront the march of corporatepower by resurrecting a noble tradition, extendingfrom Horace Mann to Martin Luther King Jr.,in which education is affirmed as a politicalprocess that encourages people to identifythemse lves a s more than consumers , anddemocracy as more than a spectacle of marketculture.

But more is needed than defending publiceducation as central to nourishing the properbalance between democratic public spheres andcommercial power. Given the current assault oneducators at all levels of schooling, educators mustalso struggle against the ongoing trend to reduceteachers to the role of technicians who simplyi m p l e m e n t p r e p a c ka g e d c u r r i c u l u m s a n dstandardized tests as part of the efficiency-basedrelations of market democracy and consumerpedagogy.

Democratic citizenship needs teachers who havet h e p o w e r a n d a u t o n o m y t o f u n c t i o n a sintellectuals working under conditions that givethem the time to produce curriculums, engage indialogues with students, use the resources ofsurrounding communities, and participate in theorganizational decisions that affect their work. Oneprecondition for a vibrant democracy is fosteringschools that are responsive to the teachers,students, and communities that they serve. Inshort, I want to argue that teachers should bedefended as public intellectuals who provide anindispensable service to the nation.

Such an appeal cannot be made merely in thename of professionalism, but in terms of the civicduty that educators provide. Educators who workin our nation's schools represent the conscienceof a society because they shape the conditionsunder which future generations learn aboutthemselves and about their relations to others andto the world. The practice of teaching is also byits very nature moral and political, rather thansimply technical. At best, such teaching engagesstudents in the ethical and political dilemmas thatanimate our social landscape.

Renewing the Democratic Missionof EducationIn the face of the growing corporatization ofschools, educators should also organize to challengecommodified forms of learning in the publicschools. This suggests producing and distributingresources that educate teachers and students tothe dangers of a corporate ethos that treatsschools as extensions of the marketplace andstudents as potential consumers. In addition toraising critical questions about advertising, educatorsmight also consider addressing the long-standingt e n s i o n b e t w e e n c o r p o r a t e c u l t u r e a n dnoncommercial values in order to contest thegrowing tendency to subordinate democratic valuesto market values. At the level of policy, publicschools should ban advertising, merchandising, andcommercial interests. And educators shouldestablish a bill of rights identifying and outliningthe range of noncommercial relations that can beused to mediate between the public schools andthe business world.

If the forces of corporate culture are to bechallenged, educators must enlist the help ofdiverse communities; local, state, and federalgovernments; and other political forces to ensurethat public schools are adequately funded so thatthey w i l l not have to re l y on “corpora tesponsorship and advertising revenues” (ConsumerUnion Educat ion Se rv i ce s , 1998 , p . 41) .

How public schools educate youth for the futurewill determine the meaning and substance ofdemocracy itself. Such a responsibility necessitatesprioritizing democratic community, citizen rights,and the public good over market relations, narrowconsumer demands, and corporate interests.Although such a challenge will be difficult in thecoming era, educators must reclaim public schoolsas a public rather than a private good and viewsuch a task as part of the struggle for democracyitself.

46 EDUCATORSR E T H I N K I N G

...educators must reclaim public schoolsas a public rather than a private good

and view such a task as part of thestruggle for democracy itself.

AZIZ KABANI

Do the multi-nationals/corporates really aim to support education and other socialwelfare initiatives or are they doing so for the promotion of their products and to

counter increasing criticism against them?

Results . . .

VOICEVOICELESS

of the

“The corporates, together with celebrities, coax peopleto buy their products by publicizing that they willallocate certain percentage of sales for charity. Thepublic responds positively to such campaigns. The reasonwhy these tactics are successful is that our governmenthas failed to invest enough resources and efforts in thesocial sector. Now if the corporate and media stars aremaking efforts to support the social sector, it is notconsidered a bad practice as we believe in the dictum,something is better than nothing. The children who didnot have any hope to ever in their lives be educatedare getting some opportunities through these initiatives.If you look at the fabric of our society, there are twoclasses. One is a rich class – people with resources andstatus. The other, which in terms of economics is called,the ‘lower class’, consists of people who do not haveenough resources at their disposal to live a contentedand respectable life. Unfortunately, they do not enjoyany status in society. Society does not pay heed to theirneeds of education, health, employment etc. I think ifco rpora te s a re work ing fo r the bene f i t o f theunderprivileged, even with an underhand motive tocounter the increasing criticism against them, then thisis not ethically wrong. Nowadays, people usually do notdifferentiate between right and wrong. They just see theadvertisements and if they find a product useful, theyjust buy it. If this purchasing contributes to the society’swelfare, the people do not see any problem with thecorporates.”

Asif Ashiq Ali – Community Education Officer

“In my opinion (based on some knowledge about howthe corporate sector works) they do so primarily for thepromotion of their products. However, even in that caseI think it is fine. The main objective of a corporate isto make money and for that they have huge marketingand advertising budgets. Due to the environmental andsocial responsibility standards in many western countries,the corporates are obliged to spend some money in thesocial sector – specifically known as Corporate SocialResponsibility (CSR) or Corporate EnvironmentalResponsibility (CER). This also gives them a small taxcut. But their main purpose remains profits. I feel thatthis is not wrong either – at least they are spendingsome money on something good, whatever be theirintentions. There is no denying the fact that by enteringthe social sector, they are deceiving the masses andcreating sympathy for themselves and would continue to

do that. But at least they are giving something back tothe society. It is my personal choice that I work for asocial development organization. My belief is there – butI’m also pragmatic – corporates are there to stay. Andwe have to live with that. We should work with themrather than alienate them.”

Saima Pervez Baig – IUCN, Pakistan

“The pr imary purpose of the corporate sector /multinationals is to attain profits. It is hard to imaginethat they would get involved in social work purely withphilanthropic motives. They definitely have their owninterests attached; they could be either increasing salesor defeating competitors. However, it is possible thattheir engagement in the social sector bear good fruits.Irrespective of what their intentions are, as long as theyare contributing something to the well being of society,it’s acceptable.”

Noman-ul-Haq Siddiqui, Research Associate,IED, AKU

“In my opinion, education and other social initiativestaken by multinationals are part of their marketing andrepute building. Most of these initiatives have less todo with human development and more to do with thefirm’s own profits. My discussion with students andmanagement of the few best business schools in Karachisuggest that their curriculum is designed with theconsent of the CEOs of big multinationals. The purposeof such a curriculum is to make students learn how tomake big money. I believe MNCs need to be educatedthemselves in the domain of human ethical values andends which can be achieved through proper managementof money.”

Alnoor Khimani, Training and DevelopmentConsultant

“In today’s world, everything has been commercialized.Multinational organizations are a direct result of themost true theory, survival of the f i ttest . Theseorganizations are enjoying huge profits, however,community and social development initiatives have alsobeen the part of their global policy – thus investmentsin social sectors like education, health etc. There maybe doubts in people’s minds regarding the motive behindthis venture of MNCs into social development. Here, Ibelieve in dictum that the end justifies the means.Nobody can deny the benefits, which are accruing out

For this issue we gathered opinions of people regarding whethercorporate philanthropy is for real.

47

of this social philanthropy of the MNCs despite the factthat they may have other motives.

I think we should see the positive aspect of the picturewhich is the benefit of society. If Shell Pakistan haslaunched its Tameer Project, the aim is to make apositive difference in the lives of people and to helpthe youth of Pakistan with respect to their career andfuture. Unilever's project of building schools in ruralareas of Pakistan has done a lot of benefit to thesociety and Kidney Centre gets donations from majormultinational companies. All these examples clearlyreflect the fact that the society is benefiting from thesocial welfare projects of these organizations. My strongconviction is that multinational companies should beencouraged for giving opportunities to people for thedevelopment of society as a whole.”

Malik Murad – Shell Pakistan

“Personally, I believe that as long as NGOs and otherorganizations that address issues related to socialdevelopment require funds and substantial financial basis,it doesn’t matter if donors (MNCs and corporate firms)do it for their own benefit, via promotion of theirproducts, or for simply shouldering the responsibility tomake things better. For e.g. Shell establishes variousprograms supporting environment consciousness. It mayvery well be to put a lid on what many view ascompletely drilling the rainforests in South America tonothingness. But Shell is still hugely generous in variousmoves made to clean things up. A realist attitude, butone I believe that works in this corporate world wheresoon everything from monuments to wonders of theworld may have MNC sponsorship tags on them.”

Youshey Zakiuddin – Student, LUMS

“My experience and interaction with the corporatessuggest that the social work undertaken by the MNCsis either for marketing their own products or counteringthreats. Whenever social work representatives approacha corporate for funding, a positive reply from them is

never unconditional. The corporate donations are dulyencashed by the companies. They keep conditions likedisplaying their banners if it is an event they havefunded. This information is then used in their marketingcampaigns and build a positive image, especially in theeyes of their stakeholders. Generally evaluating thecorporations’ activities, it is evident that they onlyindulge in marketable welfare. They focus on urban areaswhere their customers reside and not on the neglectedrural areas. They just want to push customers to buymore and more and be impressed by their activities. Acorporate never intends to undertake any activity (evenif it is social welfare), which does not ensure lucrativereturns for its business portfolio. Look at the socialcontribution of companies who urge customers to returntheir product packages so that they are able to help thepoor in building a school or a health centre. What theyactually want to convey is that you buy our productworth Rs. 50 or 60, and only then we would pay (sayup to Rs. 1) for the welfare, and not otherwise. Thussocial activities undertaken by corporations are only forselling their own image and products.”Karim Kabiruddin – Assistant Vice President, PICIC

“Multinationals have been making a considerablecontribution towards social investment in Pakistan. Apartfrom offering jobs to a number of nationals andcontributing significantly towards the economy of ourcountry, their investment in the development of societyas a whole is also commendable. With their valuablecontribution, various organizations have now had theopportunity to work in the areas where no work couldpreviously be done, considering the lack of financialsupport available to these areas. Apart from making thefinancial contributions, some organizations like Shell arealso providing valuable technical support as well. Weneed to recognize these efforts, extending our fullsupport to help make a prosperous Pakistan for us all.”

Imran Ahmad – Shell Pakistan

On a final note…This section of our magazine is dedicated to that segment of the society which cannot voice their feelings and concernsabout the social issues. Suppression (in terms of their social, political and economic rights) is one of the reasons oftheir voicelessness. I believe there is another segment in our society which may not be suppressed in terms ofaccessibility to resources or knowledge but usually does not find a proper channel to express their views and feelings.Therefore, their views and opinions remain limited to their respective circles or sometimes these individuals simplybecome indifferent and voiceless. In this issue, the theme we are exploring has provided us an opportunity to bringto the fore the views of such members of our society who previously did not get a chance to open up. Most of ourinterviewees are either engaged in the development sector or the commercial sector or they are students and aspireto join one of these sectors in future. Additionally, with the formal entrance of commercial sector in the field ofsocial development, it is more likely that their motives and interest would play a cardinal role in shaping up thefuture course of action of the social development initiatives. Through Voice of the Voiceless, the EDucate! team gotthis opportunity to explore the perceptions of people working in these two sectors on this critical issue. Most of theresponses suggest that people working both in the social and commercial sector believe that the primary objectiveof the corporate philanthropy is the promotion of their products. Some of our respondents did not consider this aproblem if it eventually leads to the benefit of people as ‘end justifies the means’. Admittedly, a large segment ofour society believes in this utilitarian philosophy. Nevertheless, in the context of human development, it is not judiciousto hold the notion that end justifies the means as both means and ends have grave impacts upon human beings.Thus, in case of corporates/MNCs it is not wise to say that eventually corporate sector is doing ‘something’ for humanwelfare. By doing so, we simply overlook the fact that corporates and MNCs are directly responsible for inflictinggrave damages upon human society both socially, economically and ecologically. Thus, the cost humanity pays to attainthese benefits is perhaps far beyond our naïve imagination.

The purpose of raising the point, ‘whether corporate philanthropy is for real’, is not to resist or undermine anybody’sinvolvement in social welfare. However, it is our moral responsibility to ensure that human welfare should be theultimate motive behind all our development endeavours. No other interest should dominate this course of action.

VOICE of the VOICELESS

48

“”

Think for yourselves and do not uncriticallyaccept what you are told, and do what you canto make the world a better place, particularlyfor those who suffer and are oppressed.

Noam Chomsky

World renowned linguist and America’s foremost social critic

in an interview for EDucate! Magazine

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