Pro Bono? [electronic resource

Pro Bono? discusses philanthropy not as a social or humanitarian practice but as an integrated part of present-day creative capitalism, having a direct relation to its growing inequality. The book investigates four expressions of philanthropy as ideology: consumer philanthropy, where we are asked to consume with good conscience; corporate philanthropy where businesses engage in social work and where philanthropic associations reengineer themselves to mimic corporations; billionaire philanthropy where conspicuous consumption is now being supplemented with conspicuous philanthropy; and finally celebrity philanthropy where now one of the hallmarks of a celebrity is the commitment to use that fame to do good.1. The Soul of Humankind under Philanthropic Capitalism; 2. From Absurd to Ethical: What is Philanthropic Capitalism?; 3. Capital Selves: Competition and Inequality; 4. Charity Button: Consumer Philanthropy; 5. 'Doing Good While Doing Great': Corporate Philanthropy; 6. Think Like a Corporation! The Charitable-Industrial Complex; 7. The Not-So-Secret Millionaire: Plutocharity; 8. The World Is Watching: Celebrity Philanthropy; 9. Lenders all: Microcredit and the Poor Entrepreneur; 10. The Gospel of Inequality: Philanthrocapitalism 11. Ungrateful and disobedient.;Can capitalism promote effective philanthropy and altruism? Have the big society right wing neoliberals got it wrong? Pro Bono? discusses philanthropy not as a social or humanitarian practice but as an integrated part of present-day creative capitalism, having a direct relation to its growing inequality. The book investigates four expressions of philanthropy as ideology: consumer philanthropy, where we are asked to consume with good conscience; corporate philanthropy where businesses engage in social work and where philanthropic associations reengineer themselves to mimic corporations; billionaire philanthropy where conspicuous consumption is now being supplemented with conspicuous philanthropy; and finally celebrity philanthropy where now one of the hallmarks of a celebrity is the commitment to use that fame to do good.