The ignorance economy

Joanne Roberts, John Armitage

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

48 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to investigate the concept of ignorance. The article employs ignorance and related writings on the lack of knowledge and new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), education, and on the state of being ignorant with the aim of expounding an ignorant approach to the critique of the knowledge economy. This perspective necessitates a discussion of those subjects and objects apparently lacking in knowledge in addition to deliberations on the nature of new ICTs. Various studies by educators, economists, and management theorists are introduced and examined as instances of an ignorant standpoint on the knowledge economy. The authors argue and find that whilst an ignorant viewpoint regarding the knowledge economy might initially appear as one that is itself founded on a state of ignorance, a deeper investigation reveals its usefulness when considering the knowledge economy. Thus, the value of the article is that it introduces the concept of the ignorance economy and considers it from an original standpoint in the light of ongoing debates over the knowledge economy.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)335-354
JournalPrometheus: Critical Studies in Innovation
Volume26
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2008

Keywords

  • knowledge economy
  • ignorance
  • knowledge commodification
  • intellectual property rights
  • knowledge workers

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The ignorance economy'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this