Business as a System of Power
# Business as a System of Power

Business as a System of Power is a book written by Robert A. Brady. It is a seminal work of comparative and historical economics written by Robert A. Brady. The book was the result of a decade-long study of the rise of bureaucratic centralism and was first published in 1943. It offers a compelling critique of the power of corporations and the impact of the corporate economy on society, democracy and individual freedom. The book has been praised for its incisive analysis of the power of corporations and its call for greater democratic control over the economy.

### Summary

Brady's central theorem, the bureaucratic authoritarian model of development, became a touchstone for the study of Third World economies. He saw the direction of business moving in a variety of directions: from the totalitarian model set by fascism with its highly centralized approach to special interests, profit making and policy made in the interests of those who rule; and the alternative democratic model set by the democracies of the West, which expound the latitude of direct public participation in decision-making and social organization of the economy as a whole.

Brady saw the business civilization itself at stake. The volume offers a fascinating study of German Nazism, Italian fascism and Japanese militarism as a series of policies rather than historical inevitabilities. But the work is also a foreboding and a warning to democratic varieties of capitalism. As business becomes increasingly global in character, unbound by national interests or democratic aims, it also becomes more rational in its own terms. Its drive for maximizing profits with scant regard to what may be less cost effective, but more open to popular control or participation, becomes transparent.

Brady provides a remarkably prescient, albeit controversial, study of trends in Western democracy and big business. His work is a warning against economic inequities, economic globalization and political concentration of power. In the current context of globalized and highly concentrated economies, Brady's counsel never loses its vitality. The book remains an influential work in the field of business studies and a powerful critique of the corporate economy.

