Big Business, Poor Peoples

John Madeley is a writer, author of nine books and broadcaster who has specialized in development issues for over thirty years. From 1983 to 1998, he was editor of the renowned magazine International Agricultural Development. A contributor to leading British papers including The Observer and The Financial Times, he has also written for many NGOs, including Christian Aid, the Panos Institute and the Catholic Institute for International Relations.

• Preface to second editionPrefaceAcknowledgementsIntroduction: The Corporate Spread1. Why Poor Countries 'Want' the Corporations2. The Agri-corporations: From Production to Trade Seeds3. Agri-commodities Take Their Toll Tobacco4. Health: The Poor Take the Corporate Pill5. Water: The Corporate Tap6. Tourism: The Great Illusion7. Extracting Logs and Fish Forests8. Mining the Poor Culture. The companies9. Manufactured Goods: Poverty amid the Glitz10. Energy: No Force for the Poor11. The Corporate Persuaders12. Tackling the Power: Regulation, Bypass, ActionConclusion

'Authoritative and highly readable. Madeley names the names and tells the stories to provide a clear answer to those who cling to the myth that foreign investment, transnational corporations, the IMF, the World Bank and UNDP are an answer to the prayers of the poor. An excellent book that should be read by everyone committed to ending global poverty.' David C. Korten, The People-Centered Development Forum 'At last, a lucid account of how transnational corporations which should be accountable are destroying the lives of the world's poor. Read it, and understand how we can regain control over the powerful forces that are shaping our future.' Barry Coates, World Development Movement 'Readable and persuasive ... a timely and cogent examination of transnational corporations, the engines that drive globalization.' New Internationalist 'A searing indictment of contemporary corporate plunder, this book constructs an airtight case for international regulation of TNCs' Walden Bello 'Millions of people around the world are working for more effective means of holding big business accountable for its human rights impacts. John Madeley's expertly researched and highly readable book shows how necessary and how difficult the task is proving to be.' Miles Litvinoff, Ecumenical Council for Corporate Responsibility