Introduction: Facing the Double Bind
Dan Breznitz, John Zysman · Oxford University Press eBooks · 2013
Abstract This introductory chapter discusses how innovation in information and communications technology (ICT) prompted changes in business models and production, which, in turn, spawned a new set of political conflicts, choices, and decisions. It highlights the key challenge facing policymakers today: how to address the gap between the issues, policies, and debates that were stressed before the 2008 meltdown of the financial markets and those that were emphasized after the meltdown. The discussions cover the decomposition of production and the transformation of services enabled by ICT; the diminished state in the global world; and the impact of the financial crisis. An overview of the subsequent chapters is also presented.