The Zero Marginal Cost Society
The Zero Marginal Cost Society
Summary
The capitalist era is passing. Rising in its wake is a new global collaborative Commons that will transform our way of life. Jeremy Rifkin explains that intense competition is forcing the introduction of ever newer technologies, in turn boosting productivity to the point where the marginal cost of producing additional units is nearly zero.
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The Zero Marginal Cost Society by Jeremy Rifkin
The capitalist era is passing. Rising in its wake is a new global collaborative Commons that will fundamentally transform our way of life. Bestselling author Jeremy Rifkin explains that intense competition is forcing the introduction of ever newer technologies, in turn boosting productivity to the point where the marginal cost of producing additional units is nearly zero, making the product essentially free. In turn, profits are drying up, property ownership is becoming meaningless, and an economy based on scarcity is giving way to an economy of abundance. Rifkin describes how hundreds of millions of people are already transferring parts of their economic lives from capitalist markets to networked Commons. "Prosumers" are producing their own information, entertainment, energy, and 3-D printed products at nearly zero marginal cost, and sharing them via social media sites and other venues. Students are enrolling in massive open online courses (MOOCs) that also operate at near-zero marginal cost. As a result, "exchange value" in the marketplace is increasingly being replaced by "use value" on the collaborative Commons. Identity is less bound to what one owns and more to what one shares. Cooperation replaces self-interest, access trumps ownership, and networking drubs autonomy. We are, Rifkin says, entering a world beyond markets where we are learning how to live together collaboratively and sustainably.Since 1994, Mr. Rifkin has been a fellow at the Wharton School's Executive Education Program, where he lectures to CEOs and senior corporate management from around the world on new trends in science and technology and their impacts on the global economy, society and the environment. He is also an advisor to heads of state and government officials in a number of countries. Mr. Rifkin's monthly column on global issues appears in many of the world's leading newspapers and magazines, including The Guardian in the United Kingdom.
He is president of the Foundation on Economic Trends in Washington, D.C
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781137280114 |
| ISBN 10 | 1137280115 |
| Title | The Zero Marginal Cost Society |
| Author | Jeremy Rifkin |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Palgrave Macmillan |
| Year published | 2015-07-14 |
| Number of pages | 368 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |