Unlimited potential, unlimited power? Microsoft's corporate citizenship in the battle over new social relations of production

Authors

  • Siobhan Stevenson University of Toronto

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v15i10.3087

Abstract

This paper explores the increasingly important role a new corporate social responsibility movement is playing in international development. Using a critical policy approach, the overarching question posed is: what ideological work does Microsoft Corporation’s world–wide philanthropic programs, and specifically its Unlimited Potential (UP) program, perform within the context of contemporary class struggles over the new means and relations of production? At the heart of this question is the ongoing battle between the free and open source software movement or FOSS and the proprietary software lobby as represented by Microsoft.

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Published

2010-10-09

How to Cite

Stevenson, S. (2010). Unlimited potential, unlimited power? Microsoft’s corporate citizenship in the battle over new social relations of production. First Monday, 15(10). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v15i10.3087