Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy (2003)
Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy (2003) Marvelous! This 6-hour DVD, produced by WGBH, highlights the key story line of the book by Daniel Yergin and Joseph Stanislaw. Its great strength is that it details the growth of central planning and public ownership then, in dozens of countries worldwide, why these policies were abandoned in the decades since 1980 because they didn’t work. Much like Adam Smith and initial market economy, this is descriptive rather than ideological. The switch to greater market economy, deregulation and privatization occurred because the central planning system was failing demonstrably. The most important ideologue was Keith Joseph, with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher his prize student. For those who seek to reverse the tide of globalization and yearn for ‘more government planning,” Commanding Heights is a compelling story that they would find most difficult to refute. For those who wish to understand globalization and its pitfalls, read/view Commanding Heights (including Disc 3: The New Rules of the Game) and Thomas Friedman’s The Lexus and the Olive Tree.
