Harvard University
Faculty Co-Director
Berkman Center for Internet and Society
Yochai Benkler writes and lectures about the Internet and the emergence of networked economy and society, as well as the organization of infrastructure, such as wireless communications. In the 1990s he played a role in characterizing the centrality of information commons to innovation, information production, and freedom in both its autonomy and democracy senses. In the 2000s, he worked more on the sources and economic and political significance of radically decentralized individual action and collaboration in the production of information, knowledge and culture. His work traverses a wide range of disciplines and sectors, and is taught in a variety of professional schools and academic departments. In real world applications, his work has been widely discussed in both the business sector and civil society. His books include 'The Wealth of Networks: How social production transforms markets and freedom' (2006).
- If nearly all knowledge is available instantly to everyone from anywhere, how does that change what we learn -- and what we don't have to learn?
- When groups of people begin self-assembling into distributed "trust networks," what kind of power might they leverage?
- How can the Internet change the fundamental economics of products and services?
- What is the future of connected communications?
