Consultants are part of nearly every industry, from big business to politics, but authors Mariana Mazzucato and Rosie Collington argue that this needs to change.
Key Details
- Reliance on consulting groups, Mazzucato and Collington say, can take away accountability from corporations and politicians.
- The authors argue that the way that businesses and governments rely on these consulting businesses needs to change.
- The Big Con covers the history of consulting and how it grew into the industry it is today, including its political and ideological focus.
- The book argues that consulting firms are a detriment to business, government, and the overall economy.
Why it’s important
Consulting is a multbillion-dollar industry, employing some of the highest-paid professionals in all of business. Consulting groups provide vast amounts of information for businesses and government leaders, but Mazzucato and Collington argue that these institutions rely too heavily on consultants’ expertise. As advisors, legitimate, and outsourcers, these firms hold a surprising amount of power over vast corporations and government leaders.
The Big Con takes a closer look at the consulting industry and how it operates. The authors share examples of when consultants overstepped their bounds and took control, leading to disaster. Mazzucato and Collington point to HealthCare.gov and the response to COVID-19 as examples.
Mazzucato and Collington argue that an entirely new system is needed to replace the existing consulting agencies, one that would allow both public and private sectors to collaborate and promote the common good.
Mazzucato has written several best-selling books, including The Entrepreneurial State, The Value of Everything, and Mission Economy. She is an Economics of Innovation and Public Value professor at University College London.
Collington has written for multiple publications, including The Guardian, Open Democracy, and The Independent. She has published research in the Institute for New Economic Thinking and New Political Economy and previously worked as an outsourced team from Deloitte.
The Big Con was published by Penguin Press in March 2023.