A new movement is afoot that promises to save the world by making civil society model itself after private enterprise. Dubbed philanthrocapitalism, its supporters believe that business principles can and should be the primary drivers of social transformation. Philanthrocapitalism's adherents mistakenly pass it off as the whole solution, downgrading the costs and trade- offs of extending business and market principles into social transformation. In reality, the hype surrounding philanthrocapitalism runs far ahead of its ability to deliver real results. Business approaches, former Ford Foundation officer Michael Edward points out, are often at odds with those needed for fundamental social change, since they privilege competition over cooperation, individual effort over collective action, and short-term results over the necessarily patient, long-term support required for the messy and unpredictable process of fundamental social transformation.
