I Heart Ulrich Beck

Ever since I first started reading "Cosmopolitan Vision" by Ulrich Beck, I knew I was obsessed. His view of the world is so enlightened, informed, grounded, and generally positive. His public lecture at the LSE sealed the deal.

Which is why I thought I should give his book 'What is Globalization?' a look for my dissertation that has to do with globalization.

I saw this quote, which he gives tongue in cheek, in his introduction, and I couldn't help but smile:

"Businessmen [sic] have discovered the road to riches. The new magic formula is: capitalism without work plus capitalism without taxes" (5).

He then goes on to elaborate on how globalization is allowing big businesses to be incorporated somewhere with low corporate taxes, employ people where pay is lowest, and yet still receive government benefits in their socially responsible countries in which they reside. A situation where ironically "the very losers of globalization will in future have to pay for everything--from the welfare state to a functioning democracy--while the winners of globalization post dream profits and steal away from their responsibility for future democracy" (6).

Ok, so that's less funny, but the man isn't afraid to call it as he sees it!