Privatization of Everything: How the Plunder of Public Goods Transformed America and How We Can Figh

The Privatization of Everything: How the Plunder of Public Goods Transformed America and How We Can Fight Back

By Donald Cohen and Allen Mikaelian

NOW IN PAPERBACK The book the American Prospect calls "an essential resource for future reformers on how not to govern," by America's leading defender of the public interest and a bestselling historian "An essential read for those who want to fight the assault on public goods and the commons. " --Naomi Klein A sweeping exposé of the ways in which private interests strip public goods of their power and diminish democracy, the hardcover edition of The Privatization of Everything elicited a wide spectrum of praise: Kirkus Reviews hailed it as "a strong, economics-based argument for restoring the boundaries between public goods and private gains," Literary Hub featured the book on a Best Nonfiction list, calling it "a far-reaching, comprehensible, and necessary book," and Publishers Weekly dubbed it a "persuasive takedown of the idea that the private sector knows best.

READ FULL DESCRIPTION

Quantity Price Discount
List Price $28.99  
1 - 24 $23.19 20%
25 + $20.29 30%

Quick Quote

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit

Non-returnable discount pricing

$28.99


Book Information

Publisher: New Press
Publish Date: 11/23/2021
Pages: 320
ISBN-13: 9781620976531
ISBN-10: 1620976536
Language: English

What We're Saying

Full Description

NOW IN PAPERBACK The book the American Prospect calls "an essential resource for future reformers on how not to govern," by America's leading defender of the public interest and a bestselling historian


"An essential read for those who want to fight the assault on public goods and the commons." --Naomi Klein


A sweeping exposé of the ways in which private interests strip public goods of their power and diminish democracy, the hardcover edition of The Privatization of Everything elicited a wide spectrum of praise: Kirkus Reviews hailed it as "a strong, economics-based argument for restoring the boundaries between public goods and private gains," Literary Hub featured the book on a Best Nonfiction list, calling it "a far-reaching, comprehensible, and necessary book," and Publishers Weekly dubbed it a "persuasive takedown of the idea that the private sector knows best."


From Diane Ravitch ("an important new book about the dangers of privatization") to Heather McGhee ("a well-researched call to action"), the rave reviews mirror the expansive nature of the book itself, covering the impact of privatization on every aspect of our lives, from water and trash collection to the justice system and the military. Cohen and Mikaelian also demonstrate how citizens can--and are--wresting back what is ours: A Montana city took back its water infrastructure after finding that they could do it better and cheaper. Colorado towns fought back well-funded campaigns to preserve telecom monopolies and hamstring public broadband. A motivated lawyer fought all the way to the Supreme Court after the state of Georgia erected privatized paywalls around its legal code.


"Enlightening and sobering" (Rosanne Cash), The Privatization of Everything connects the dots across a wide range of issues and offers what Cash calls "a progressive voice with a firm eye on justice [that] can carefully parse out complex issues for those of us who take pride in citizenship."

About the Authors

Donald Cohen is the founder and executive director of the research and policy center In the Public Interest and the co-author (with Allen Mikaelian) of The Privatization of Everything and (with Nick Hanauer, Joan Walsh, and Zachary Roth) of It's Never Our Fault (And Other Shameless Excuses) (both from The New Press).

Learn More


Donald Cohen is the founder and executive director of the research and policy center In the Public Interest and the co-author (with Allen Mikaelian) of The Privatization of Everything and (with Nick Hanauer, Joan Walsh, and Zachary Roth) of It's Never Our Fault (And Other Shameless Excuses) (both from The New Press).

Learn More

We have updated our privacy policy. Click here to read our full policy.