Business-Managed Democracy

“Business-managed democracies are those in which the political and cultural arrangements are managed in the interests of business.”
Sharon Beder, 2009.

 

 

 

For more on this subject see:
Global Spin:
The Corporate Assault on Environmentalism, Green Books, Devon, UK, 2002.

Book cover

pointer Business-Managed Democracy » Environment » Think Tanks » Institute of Public Affairs

Business-Managed Environment

Institute of Public Affairs (IPA)

The Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) is a conservative, corporate-funded Australian think tank. It opposes environmental regulations, downplays environmental problems and attacks IPA logoenvironmentalists.

reference
Reference: 'Recent publications', Institute of Public Affairs, 2010; 'Institute of Public Affairs/The IPA's pro-nuclear advocacy', SourceWatch, 2010.

Its most recent campaigns have involved defending the use of palm oil, exaggerating the costs of renewable energy, opposing the proposed emissions trading scheme, supporting the concept of a sustainable whaling industry and promoting genetic engineering. The IPA has also played a key role in promoting climate change skepticism in Australia (see Global Warming section of this website ) and has promoted uranium mining and nuclear power for Australia. It also advocates the siting of a nuclear waste dump in Australia.

The IPA's NGO Watch project is described here.

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Corporate Funding

reference
Reference: Ewin Hannan and Shaun Carney, 'Thinkers of influence', The Age, 10 December 2005; Melissa Fyfe, 'The global warming sceptics', The Age, 27 November 2004; Brad Norington, 'Think tank secrets', Sydney Morning Herald, 12 August 2003.

Funders of the IPA have included various mining and manufacturing companies such as ExxonMobil, Visyboard, Rio Tinto, Western Mining Corporation and BHP Billiton as well as Monsanto, Philip Morris, British American Tobacco, Telstra, Caltex and Shell. Its board has included executives from companies such as Rio Tinto, Western Mining Corporation, Shell, and Philip Morris.

John Roskam John Roskam (pictured), had been Manager of Government and Corporate Affairs for Rio Tinto (the company name has since been removed from his IPA profile page) as well as chief of staff to David Kemp, the Federal Minister for Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs in the Howard liberal government.

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Astroturf Campaigns

In 2004 the IPA ran a forum "Reclaiming the Environment" (program available here) and in advertisements for the event which aimed to form an anti-environmentalist movement it claimed:

Environmental fundamentalism is denying farmers, foresters, fishermen, prospectors, miners, beekeepers, 4WD enthusiasts and others access rights, property rights, water rights.
It is also generating excessive red tape and harming the environment. The wrong-headed "hands off, leave it to nature" approach is destroying our National Parks.
These are national issues requiring national, grass-roots action. Be a part of the Inaugural Eureka Forum and help build a strong national network.

AEF logoThe IPA played a role in the subsequent 2005 establishment of the corporate front group, the Australian Environment Foundation (AEF). Jennifer Marohasy of the IPA has stood in as temporary chair as well as being a director. Michael Nahan, then executive director of IPA was also a founding director of AEF.

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Links

See also: Global Warming: Institute of Public Affairs (IPA)
See also: Competitive Enterprise Institute| Cato Institute | Institute of Economic Affairs

© 2011 Sharon Beder
http://www.herinst.org/BusinessManagedDemocracy/environment/tanks/IPA.html