Private Government

Private Government (2017) boldly asserts a provocative thesis: most modern companies are run more like communist dictatorships than the “free enterprises” their often libertarian-minded owners, managers, and defenders believe them to be. Drawing on a wide range of ideas, facts, and data from economics, political philosophy, and history, Private Government backs this thesis up with a strong, compelling argument that’s well worth reckoning with.

Who should read

Employees unhappy with their employment Employers wondering why their employees might be so unhappy Anyone else wanting to know what’s wrong with the modern workplace

About the author

Elizabeth Anderson is a professor of philosophy and women’s studies at the University of Michigan. Her research encompasses a broad range of topics within political philosophy, ethics, and feminist theory, including egalitarianism, democracy, and market society. Her previous books include Value in Ethics and Economics and The Imperative of Integration, which won the American Philosophical Association's 2011 Joseph B. Gittler Award, for providing “an outstanding scholarly contribution in the field of the philosophy of one or more of the social sciences.”