Creative Capitalism – A Conversation with Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and other Economic Leaders
Edited by Michael Kinsley

Addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2008, Bill Gates urged business leaders to find new ways to help the world’s most disadvantaged by implementing what he called ‘creative capitalism’. In this book around forty contributors – primarily academics and business journalists – offer various points of view on what exactly creative capitalism might mean and how it might (or might not) work.

Described by editor Michael Kinsley as a “literary experiment”, Creative Capitalism is the product of an online discussion forum (creativecapitalism.typepad.com). Readers need not be discouraged by Kinsley’s introductory remarks about online prose’s dubious reputation for quality. Given the high calibre of the contributors, it is no surprise that the writing is of an excellent standard.

In fact, the blog-to-book experiment works well in more ways than one. Wide-ranging insights are presented in clear, concise contributions averaging just a few pages each. At times there is a lack of cohesion as contributors digress into areas of philosophical and legal principle of special interest. Far more effective are the moments of direct back-and-forth discussion between participants where ideas are developed or refuted in apparent real time.

Readers interested in the issue of corporate social responsibility will find an excellent range of views here but may also be frustrated by the amount of time spent trying to nail down what Gates’s anointed term, ‘creative capitalism’, actually means. Economics commentator Clive Crook highlights the nebulous character of the discussion when he says, “The most frustrating thing about the debate Bill Gates has started is that the term ‘creative capitalism’ is so vague.”

Creative Capitalism’s strength lies in its analysis of the underlying principles and theoretical consequences of corporate social responsibility. To complement this theoretical aspect, more needs to be heard from business people about their real-life successes and failures in the field.