Book Review: Profit Over People: Neoliberalism and Global Order

Author: Noam Chomsky
First Published: 1999

Introduction

When we think of Noam Chomsky, the words critique, dissent, and truth-telling immediately come to mind.

In his 1999 book, Profit Over People: Neoliberalism and Global Order, Chomsky unpacks the global economic system that has shaped much of the modern world – neoliberalism.

Written at the height of globalization debates, the book exposes how free-market policies, often sold as tools for prosperity and democracy, in reality, serve elite interests at the expense of ordinary people.

Summary of the Book

Chomsky argues that neoliberalism is less about freedom and more about control. While advocates present it as economic liberalization, privatization, and deregulation, Chomsky contends that in practice, it means:

• Concentration of wealth and power in the hands of multinational corporations and financial elites.
• Weakening of democracy, as policy-making becomes increasingly dictated by corporate interests.
• Marginalization of the poor, both in developed and developing nations, as social protections are eroded.