Sharing in the Success of the Digital Economy

A Progressive Approach to Radical Innovation

Edited by Robert D. Atkinson; Michael McTernan and Alastair Reed

The digitally-enabled economy is unleashing a new wave of change, something we are only just beginning to feel and understand. The economic evidence shows that this innovation—the development and adoption of new products, services, processes and business models—is vital to support rising living standards. But making the political case for the progressive power of innovation, and the digital economy, can be more challenging. The forces of “creative destruction” threaten incumbent firms, jobs, and the way people work and live, creating strong incentives to oppose change.

Confronting these hard realities is one of the defining challenges for progressive politics in the twenty-first century. This collection of essays aims to explore how progressives can embrace the power and promise of innovation through ICT and the digital economy, while developing new institutions to enable societies to cope with the new challenges and risks that this heralds.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers / Policy Network

Pages: 106 • Trim: 5¾ x 8¾

978-1-78348-503-1 • Paperback • March 2015 • $21.00 • (£15.99)

978-1-78348-504-8 • eBook • March 2015 • $20.00 • (£14.99)

Subjects: Business & Economics / Economics / General, Political Science / Political Economy, Political Science / Public Policy / Economic Policy, Political Science / Policy Analysis

Sharing in the Success of the Digital Economy

A Progressive Approach to Radical Innovation

Paperback

eBook

Summary

The digitally-enabled economy is unleashing a new wave of change, something we are only just beginning to feel and understand. The economic evidence shows that this innovation—the development and adoption of new products, services, processes and business models—is vital to support rising living standards. But making the political case for the progressive power of innovation, and the digital economy, can be more challenging. The forces of “creative destruction” threaten incumbent firms, jobs, and the way people work and live, creating strong incentives to oppose change.

Confronting these hard realities is one of the defining challenges for progressive politics in the twenty-first century. This collection of essays aims to explore how progressives can embrace the power and promise of innovation through ICT and the digital economy, while developing new institutions to enable societies to cope with the new challenges and risks that this heralds.

Details

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers / Policy Network

Pages: 106 • Trim: 5¾ x 8¾

978-1-78348-503-1 • Paperback • March 2015 • $21.00 • (£15.99)

978-1-78348-504-8 • eBook • March 2015 • $20.00 • (£14.99)

Subjects: Business & Economics / Economics / General, Political Science / Political Economy, Political Science / Public Policy / Economic Policy, Political Science / Policy Analysis

Author

Robert D. Atkinson is the founder and president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), a Washington, DC-based policy thinktank.
Michael McTernan is acting director of Policy Network, a London-based international thinktank and network.
Alastair Reed is a researcher at Policy Network, a London-based international thinktank and network.

Table of Contents

Introduction / The Progressive Power of Creative Destruction, Robert D. Atkinson / Jobs, Living Standards and Well-Being / Translating Innovation into Increases in Living Standards, Andrew Sharpe / Good Jobs in an Era of Technological Disruption. Matthew Whittaker / The Promise of Data Innovation, Daniel Castro / The Internet is an Engine for European Growth, Matt Brittin / Rethinking the Rules of the Game for the Digital Age / Understanding and Shaping the Collaborative Economy, Kathleen Stokes / Intangible Gold – Why No Rush to Finance Innovation?, Birgitte Andersen / Creating a Climate for Digital Entrepreneurs, Desirée van Welsum & Jonathan Murray / A Roadmap for European Productivity Growth / Transform or Be Marginalised – Does Europe’s Digital Awakening Lie Ahead?, Nick Sohnemann / An Innovation Agenda for Europe, Paul Hofheinz / Getting Europe Up to Scale for the ICT-Enabled Economy, Robert D. Atkinson / Conclusion / The Political Opportunity of the Digital Age, Michael McTernan & Alastair Reed