When Corporations Rule the World — When Market Power Becomes Governing Power

Crisis in Perception · Oct 2, 2026 · 48m

What happens when institutions meant to compete within markets become powerful enough to influence the rules those markets—and governments—operate under?

Welcome to Crisis in Perception, where we examine the systems shaping our world.

Using When Corporations Rule the World by David C. Korten as our lens, this Deep Dive investigates the relationship between concentrated corporate power, global finance, economic globalization, and democratic sovereignty.

Writing in the mid-1990s, Korten argues that the problem is not business or markets themselves, but an institutional system in which globally…