Democracy, Inc

by David S. Allen

"In Democracy, Inc., David S. Allen exposes the vested interests fostering the U.S. slide toward the conflation of corporate and democratic values and the ways in which this undermines the public sphere. He argues that rather than being institutional protectors of democratic principles, the press and law perversely contribute to the destruction of public discourse in the United States today." "Allen utilizes historical, philosophical, sociological, and legal sources to trace America's gradual embrace of corporate values. He argues that such values, including winning, efficiency, and profitability, actually limit democratic involvement by devaluing discursive principles, creating an informed yet inactive public. Through an examination of professionalization in both the press and the law, corporate free speech rights, and free speech as property, Democracy, Inc. demonstrates how corporate values have warped our understanding of democracy and the concept of citizenship."--Jacket.