I have written a report titled Democracy of Pressure Groups: A Look into What Is Freedom, and What Is Not.
In this report, I examine the rhetoric and conduct of activist pressure groups, using the Council of Canadians as the principal case study. I challenge their attacks on business, profit, globalization, privatization, and freer trade, while emphasizing the legitimate role of government in protecting property rights and maintaining law and order.
I argue that organizations claiming to represent civil society are not inherently more honest, accountable, or public-spirited than businesses or governments. When they manipulate facts, exaggerate problems, and try to impose their preferences without bearing responsibility for the consequences, they become another form of rent-seeking.
More broadly, I argue that the differences in prosperity between rich and poor countries arise primarily from their systems of law and order, property rights, and the degree of freedom permitted in private, economic, and social life.