Corporate influence and power is continually growing each day.  “The world’s 200 largest corporations have combined sales greater than the combined GDP of all countries except the world’s 10 largest economies, and 18 times greater than the combined annual income of the roughly 25% of the world’s population living on less than $1 per day” (Lobe).  These large, extremely profitable corporations are known not to give comparative benefits to their business’ employees.  82 of the 200 most expanding businesses are U.S. based.  The business’ earnings expanded 362.4% from 1983 through 1999.  However, there were no new, known workers benefits established.  According to the Institute, while the company’s profits skyrocketed, the quantity of workers that the companies had employed rose by merely 14.4%.  This has raised public awareness of corporate power and has frightened many.  According to Business Week, some refer to this time as the “New Economy.”

            This “New Economy” of technology based companies is “leaving workers and their families ‘feeling overworked and stressed out… and about three out of four respondents agreed that big companies have too much influence over ‘government policy, politicians and policy-makers in Washington” (Lobe).  In addition, the enlargement of private power has massive economic effects.  The result of privatization is overpoweringly harmful.  It results in a large decrease of “public controls over an increasing number of living conditions which were hitherto regarded as public responsibilities, and the consequences are irresponsible behavior of private providers and deterioration of living conditions” (Prof. Dr. Jörg Huffschmid).  This is predominantly relevant for those who do not have the funds to purchase the privatized merchandise on the markets.