The big con : how the consulting industry weakens our businesses, infantilizes our governments, and warps our economies

Includes bibliographical references (pages 255-331) and index.

1. Introduction: The big con 2. a confidence trick 3. What is the consulting industry? 4. Where consulting came from: a brief history 5. The outsourcing turn: government by consultancy and the third way 6. The big confidence trick: consultology and economic rents 7. Evading the risks, reaping the rewards: the business model 8. Infantilizing organizations: when learning is undermined across government and business 9. Colliding interests: consultancies and democracy 10. Climate consulting: an existential threat? 11. Conclusion: A government that rows so it can steer.

A vital and timely investigation into how the consulting industry has made its way to the heart of our economies and governments - and what to do about it There is an entrenched relationship between the consulting industry and hollowed-out, risk-averse governments and shareholder value-maximizing firms. Mariana Mazzucato and Rosie Collington show that our economies' reliance on companies such as McKinsey, Boston Consulting Group, Bain & Company, PwC, Deloitte, KPMG and EY stunts innovation, obfuscates corporate and political accountability and impedes our collective mission of halting climate breakdown. The 'Big Con' is possible in today's economies because of the unique power that consultancies wield through extensive contracts and networks - as advisors, legitimators and outsourcers - and the illusion that they are objective sources of expertise and capacity. The Big Con weakens our businesses, infantilizes our governments and warps our economies.