Jeremy Rifkin
Biography & Resources

 
 
Jeremy Rifkin is the founder and president of the Foundation on Economic Trends in Washington, DC, which examines the economic, environmental, social, and cultural impacts of new technologies introduced into the global economy. He is also author of sixteen books on the impact of scientific and technological changes on the economy, the workforce, society, and the environment. His books have been translated into more than twenty languages and are used in hundreds of universities around the world. In his most recent book, The Hydrogen Economy, published in September 2002, he takes us on an eye-opening journey into the next great commercial era in history. He envisions the dawn of a new economy powered by hydrogen that will fundamentally change the nature of our market and our political and social institutions, just as coal and steam power did at the beginning of the industrial age.

Rifkin has been influential in shaping public policy in the United States and around the world. The National Journal named Rifkin as one of 150 people in the U.S. who have the most influence in shaping federal government policy. He holds a degree in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and a degree in international affairs from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Rifkin is an advisor to heads of state and government officials around the world, and speaks frequently before business, labor and civic forums. He currently serves as an advisor to Romano Prodi, President of the European Commission, the governing body of the European Union. He has also lectured at more than 500 universities in some 20 countries in the past 30 years. Since 1994, Rifkin has been a fellow at the Wharton School's Executive Education Program, where he lectures to CEOs and senior corporate leaders from around the world on new trends in science and technology and their impacts on the global economy, society and the environment. His monthly column on global issues appears in many of the world's leading newspapers and magazines, including The Los Angeles Times in the U.S., The Guardian in the U.K., Welt am Sonntag and Die Sueddeutsche Zeitung in Germany, L'Espresso in Italy, El Pais in Spain, Le Monde in France, and Al-Ittihad in the U.A.E.

selected books

The End of Work: The Decline of the Global Labor Force and the Dawn of the Post-Market Era
(J.P. Tarcher, 2004)
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The Biotech Century: Harnessing the Gene and Remaking the World
(J.P. Tarcher, 1999)
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The Age of Access: The New Culture of Hypercapitalism, Where All of Life Is a Paid-For Experience
(J.P. Tarcher, 2001)
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The Hydrogen Economy: The Creation of the Worldwide Energy Web and the Redistribution of Power on Earth
(J.P. Tarcher, 2003)
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organizational affiliations

The Foundation on Economic Trends
Established in 1977 by Jeremy Rifkin, FET is a research institution examining emerging trends in science and technology and their likely impacts on the environment, economy, culture and society. FET advises government, business, educational, and civic organizations around the world.
http://www.foet.org