Discreet Power - (Emerging Frontiers in the Global Economy) by Christina Garsten & Adrienne Sörbom (Paperback)

About the Book

Discreet Powerpresents an inside look at one of the primary agenda-setting organizations of our day. Drawing on an ethnographic study inside of the World Economic Forum, it unveils the inner workings of an organization that lives beyond traditional governance structures, but that is actively transforming global relations. The WEF represents a relatively new type of global power--and the fact that "governance via knowledge," as opposed to formal authority, lies in our future.

Book Synopsis

In Discreet Power, Christina Garsten and Adrienne Sörbom undertake an ethnographic study of the World Economic Forum (WEF). Accessing one of the primary agenda-setting organizations of our day, they draw on interviews and participant observation to examine how the WEF wields its influence. They situate the WEF within an emerging system of "discretionary governance," in which actors craft ideas and entice formal authorities and top leaders in order to garner significant sway. Yet in spite of its image as a powerful, exclusive brain trust, the WEF has no formal mandate to implement its positions. It must convince others to advance chosen causes and enact suggestions, rendering its position quite fragile.

Garsten and Sörbom argue that the WEF must be viewed relationally as a brokering organization that lives between the market and political spheres and that extends its reach through associated individuals and groups.They place the WEF in the context of a broader shift, arguing that while this type of governance opens up novel ways of dealing with urgent global problems, it challenges core democratic values.

Review Quotes

"Between raw forces of the global economy and disordered world politics lie organizations that are neither political nor economic. The World Economic Forum is central among these structures. Garsten and Sörbom give a most impressive depiction and analysis of its role--responsible but undemocratic--in what is now called global governance."--John W. Meyer, Stanford University

"In this informative study, Carsten and Sörbom explore both the inner workings and the communication strategies of the World Economic Forum....[T]he authors conclude that the WEF does perform a useful service, even if it is biased toward elite perceptions."--Richard N. Cooper, Foreign Affairs

"This is an outstanding exemplar of a very difficult genre in the craft of ethnography: working within the highest reaches of elite organization. The challenge lies less in limited access than in not reinforcing our deep-seated stereotypes of what goes on in such groups. This work is distinguished by its observational quality and derived expression of the stakes and issues at hand."--George Marcus, University of California, Irvine

About the Author

Christina Garsten is Professor of Social Anthropology at Stockholm University. She is the author of Workplace Vagabonds (2008). Adrienne Sörbom is Associate Professor of Sociology at Stockholm University.