The Consulting Trap

Reviews / Votes

"The book draws back the veil on the power wielded by transnational corporate players and contributes to a variety of societal debates including the deficiencies of the liberal democratic system, the regime of inequality and austerity, and the urgent need for reform of how politics is done and includes some thoughts about how countervailing power might be developed to make things public and enable a more democratic system." -- Stephen McBride, professor of political science, McMaster University "The Consulting Trap shines a bright light on the murky world of professional service firms as they have been reformatting the state to serve the interests of private business more effectively. This meticulously researched and highly accessible book is essential reading for critics of neoliberalism and advocates for democracy." -- William K. Carroll, professor of sociology, University of Victoria "The Consulting Trap is a comprehensive, international and rigorous 'roadmap and resource' for those interested is seeing how governments come to be over-dependent on transnational firms such as the big consultancies and who wish to do something about it. It is the first book which not only charts the negative outcomes of 'consultocracy' for us all, but points to ways in which it can be challenged. It is both critical and positive - a must read for those interested in keeping the administration of government democratic and 'public'." -- Andrew Sturdy, professor of management and organisation, University of Bristol, UK "A timely and important look at how governments around the world are outsourcing their role to huge private service firms, replacing the responsibility of elected officials, promoting deregulation, and privatizing public services, while passing off huge costs to unsuspecting taxpayers. Meticulously researched, The Consulting Trap tells a story we all have to hear." -- Maude Barlow, author and activist