The Big Bon

The 'Big Con' describes the confidence trick the consulting industry performs in contracts with hollowed-out and risk-averse governments and shareholder value-maximizing firms. It grew from the 1980s and 1990s in the wake of reforms by both the neoliberal right and Third Way progressives and it thrives on the ills of modern capitalism from financialization and privatization to the climate crisis. It is possible because of the unique power that big consultancies wield through extensive contracts and networks - as advisors legitimators and outsourcers - and the illusion that they are objective sources of expertise and capacity.

Mazzucato and Collington expertly debunk the myth that consultancies always add value to the economy. With a wealth of original research they argue brilliantly for investment and collective intelligence within all organizations and communities and for a new system in which public and private sectors work innovatively for the common good.