The Big Con: How the Consulting Industry Weakens our Businesses, Infantilizes our Governments and Warps our Economies
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- Create Date：2023-03-06 03:41:48
- Update Date：2025-09-23
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- Author：Mariana Mazzucato
- ISBN：B0B9ZVPJ9C
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Summary
A vital and timely investigation into the opaque and powerful consulting industry and what to do about it
There is an entrenched relationship between the consulting industry and the way business and government are managed today that must change。
Mariana Mazzucato and Rosie Collington show that our economies’ reliance on companies such as McKinsey & Company， 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” describes the confidence trick the consulting industry performs in contracts with hollowed-out and risk-averse governments and shareholder value-maximizing firms。 It grew from the 1980s and 1990s in the wake of reforms by the neoliberal right and Third Way progressives， and it thrives on the ills of modern capitalism， from financialization and privatization to the climate crisis。 It is possible because of the unique power that big consultancies wield through extensive contracts and networks as advisors， legitimators， and outsourcers and the illusion that they are objective sources of expertise and capacity。 In the end， the Big Con weakens our businesses， infantilizes our governments， and warps our economies。
In The Big Con， Mazzucato and Collington throw back the curtain on the consulting industry。 They dive deep into important case studies of consultants taking the reins with disastrous results and the tragic failures of governments to respond adequately to the COVID-19 pandemic。 The result is an important and exhilarating intellectual journey into the modern economy’s beating heart。 With peerless scholarship， and a wealth of original research， Mazzucato and Collington argue brilliantly for building a new system in which public and private sectors work innovatively for the common good。
There is an entrenched relationship between the consulting industry and the way business and government are managed today that must change。
Mariana Mazzucato and Rosie Collington show that our economies’ reliance on companies such as McKinsey & Company， 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” describes the confidence trick the consulting industry performs in contracts with hollowed-out and risk-averse governments and shareholder value-maximizing firms。 It grew from the 1980s and 1990s in the wake of reforms by the neoliberal right and Third Way progressives， and it thrives on the ills of modern capitalism， from financialization and privatization to the climate crisis。 It is possible because of the unique power that big consultancies wield through extensive contracts and networks as advisors， legitimators， and outsourcers and the illusion that they are objective sources of expertise and capacity。 In the end， the Big Con weakens our businesses， infantilizes our governments， and warps our economies。
In The Big Con， Mazzucato and Collington throw back the curtain on the consulting industry。 They dive deep into important case studies of consultants taking the reins with disastrous results and the tragic failures of governments to respond adequately to the COVID-19 pandemic。 The result is an important and exhilarating intellectual journey into the modern economy’s beating heart。 With peerless scholarship， and a wealth of original research， Mazzucato and Collington argue brilliantly for building a new system in which public and private sectors work innovatively for the common good。
Reviews
Marc Sabatier
，
Well written， but more journalistic in style than academic。 That makes it easy to read and engaging， but some of the simplifications where quite tiresome。They argue that consultants succeed in pulling a "confidence trick" off， where they seem to competent， but in reality， its just a bunch of handwaiving。 So business's aren't hiring consultants for functional reasons， but because they have been tricked by the consultant houses。 This claim is backed by anecdotes citing that consultants are encoura Well written， but more journalistic in style than academic。 That makes it easy to read and engaging， but some of the simplifications where quite tiresome。They argue that consultants succeed in pulling a "confidence trick" off， where they seem to competent， but in reality， its just a bunch of handwaiving。 So business's aren't hiring consultants for functional reasons， but because they have been tricked by the consultant houses。 This claim is backed by anecdotes citing that consultants are encouraged not to show uncertainty， but always showing confidence in there proposals。 It would've been helpfull for the argument if actual studies systematically reviewing the effects of consultants were presented， but this is left to speculation。The criticism of consulting methods are also hard to blame on consultants rather than the fact that ressources are scarce。 They criticize "downsizing" methods for causing "emotional exhaustion" with employees。 Naturally， it would be preferable that firms didn't have to downsize and could keep everyone on their team。 But what is the counterfactual here？ That， absent of consultants， the world would be free of hardships？Naturally， they bring up valid points with potential conflicts of interest， and the negative effects on organisations when employee don't get the learning experience of solving a given problem。 These are legitimate， but hardly unknown。 In the end， the authors offer some recommendations for governments， where one is to develop in-house consulting firms （citing Germany as an example， see page 244）。 If consultants offer no functional purpose， then why would governments be better off with in-house consulting branches？ Perhaps because the methods and stake-holder function （giving an outside perspective） provided by consultants actually has value。 Maybe there is still something to learn from "The Big Con"。 。。。more
Sebastian Gebski
，
I liked TBC far more than "Mission Economy"。Before I started reading， I was afraid Mazzucato may have picked an easy way （picking on cherry-picking f*ckups & play the emotions: "they are stealing money from children in need！"）。 Fortunately， she's much better than that。Yes， there are plenty of anecdotes here， but they are well put in context， not anonymized， and aimed to illustrate a thesis。 The analysis is calm， scientific， and to the point。 The identified flaws （of consulting） very closely map I liked TBC far more than "Mission Economy"。Before I started reading， I was afraid Mazzucato may have picked an easy way （picking on cherry-picking f*ckups & play the emotions: "they are stealing money from children in need！"）。 Fortunately， she's much better than that。Yes， there are plenty of anecdotes here， but they are well put in context， not anonymized， and aimed to illustrate a thesis。 The analysis is calm， scientific， and to the point。 The identified flaws （of consulting） very closely map onto my own personal judgment （acquired while working for & with consulting companies - for over 13 years）。What did I miss here？ Mazzucato didn't dive very deep into the history: of why consulting has gained its position & what has changed （in practical terms） since then。 For obvious reasons， she brings in more details from public service cases （where transparency is granted by law） than private ones。In the end， this book （IMHO） gives a good， accurate depiction of today's "big name" consulting。 The more people realize how it really works and how little value it brings， the better。P。S。 The sustainability chapter is pure gold。 。。。more
J
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Interesting perspective but too anecdotal to write a book about it。
Tristan Eagling
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Depending on your frame of reference， consultants fall somewhere on a spectrum between a vital source of expertise， filling in gaps， and allowing net benefit through 'economies of knowledge'。 To parasitic bullsh*t merchants， leeching off the public purse， and diverting money （that could be spent on R&D， nurses， or social protection） to overpaid charlatans， whose only real skill is creating the illusion of expertise and well-formatted slide decks。 It's fair to say Mariana Mazzucato veers to the l Depending on your frame of reference， consultants fall somewhere on a spectrum between a vital source of expertise， filling in gaps， and allowing net benefit through 'economies of knowledge'。 To parasitic bullsh*t merchants， leeching off the public purse， and diverting money （that could be spent on R&D， nurses， or social protection） to overpaid charlatans， whose only real skill is creating the illusion of expertise and well-formatted slide decks。 It's fair to say Mariana Mazzucato veers to the latter camp more than the former and provides a compelling argument for why more people should。 The Big Con: How the Consulting Industry Weakens our Businesses， Infantilizes our Governments and Warps our Economies is not a page-turner full of dinner party-friendly anecdotes， but given the authors' academic backgrounds， it was never going to be。 It is， however， an important well-researched book that examines the often non altruistic incentives of consultants and those who hire them， why the current system is flawed and crucially why that matters。 Even the biggest advocates of the consultant industry will often question the mismatch between the value they generate and the fees they charge。 The Big Con tackles the excessive fees but goes far beyond this， and also examines how the overuse of consultants may be gutting our institutions of expertise and experience。 Most worrying we are shown that consultants not only benefit from our current neoliberal order， but have in no small part helped perpetuate and shape the very system they now thrive in。 The Big con is a must-read for anyone interested in the industry， whether you believe Mckinsey's claim to be 'the greatest private sector catalyst for decarbonization'， or you think that is just rhetoric， and you have become increasingly wary of the well-presented reports， presented by young and enthusiastic， well-presented consultants。 。。。more
Jen
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"The desire to secure additional rewards through new contracts wins out over the exchange of honest advice and expertise -- exactly what we're told is the raison d'etre of the consulting industry。" "The desire to secure additional rewards through new contracts wins out over the exchange of honest advice and expertise -- exactly what we're told is the raison d'etre of the consulting industry。" 。。。more
Morgan
，
A fascinating look at how the consulting industry affects governments， businesses， and economies in negative ways。 It is very clear from the beginning how much research went into The Big Con。 I’m definitely going to be thinking about this book when I’m reading “When McKinsey Comes to Town” for a book club next month！ Thank you to Penguin Press for sending me this ARC。
Toke Dahler
，
Incisive， timely and cleverly uses one questionable sector as the lens to understand wider societal change。 Loved it
Annarella
，
I've been working int the consulting world for decades and saw how it changed and evolved。This was an interesting read， thought provoking and well written。 I didn't always agreed with the author but i found it interesting。Many thanks to the publisher for this arc， all opinions are mine I've been working int the consulting world for decades and saw how it changed and evolved。This was an interesting read， thought provoking and well written。 I didn't always agreed with the author but i found it interesting。Many thanks to the publisher for this arc， all opinions are mine 。。。more
tpg0
，
As an AI language model， I don't have personal opinions， but I can provide you with a summary of the book。 "The Big Con" by Ph。D。 Thomas L。 Friedman is a critique of the consulting industry and its impact on society。 Friedman argues that consultants have created a culture that favors short-term thinking over long-term planning， and that the industry's focus on cost-cutting and outsourcing has led to the decline of many businesses and governments。 The author suggests a need to challenge the role of consultants and promote a more sustainable and responsible model of business and government。 Overall， the book raises important questions about the modern consulting culture and its impact on society。
tpg1
，
As an AI language model， I don't have personal opinions， but I can tell you about the book。 "The Big Con: How the Consulting Industry Weakens our Businesses， Infantilizes our Governments and Warps our Economies" is a book written by British author， journalist and broadcaster， David Craig。 The book explores the negative impact of the consulting industry on businesses， governments and economies。 It reveals the methods and tactics used by consulting firms to sell their services， provide questionable advice and make huge profits while leaving their clients in a weakened state。 The book also argues that the consulting industry has become a self-serving entity， which focuses on never-ending engagements， rather than delivering genuine results。 It raises thought-provoking questions about the role of consultants， and whether they provide value for money。
tpg2
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