Building the New Economy Data As Capital -- Alex P Pentland; Alexander Lipton; Thomas Hardjono -- MIT Connection Science & Engineering, 1, 2021 -- isbn13 9780262367400 -- 472bf261c1b3a3d47f1755022cb27e7e -- Anna’s Archive
The index of Building the New Economy: Data as Capital maps the book’s extensive exploration of data as a new production factor and a form of capital, detailing the technical, economic, legal, and societal frameworks required to build resilient, distributed socio‑economic systems. It enumerates concepts ranging from data cooperatives, privacy‑preserving computing (Open Algorithms, secure enclaves, multiparty computation), and digital identity infrastructure (VASP, certificate hierarchies, decentralized identifiers) to tokenization mechanisms (stablecoins, digital tradecoins, utility settlement coins) and their regulatory contexts (KYC, AML, Travel Rule). The index also covers sector‑specific use cases—healthcare data architectures, precision medicine, music licensing ecosystems, infrastructure financing (high‑speed rail, hydroelectric projects)—and the underlying network and blockchain design principles (interoperability, survivability, trust chains). Throughout, the book weaves economic models (power‑law dynamics, network stability), legal algorithmic frameworks, and innovation theory to argue for a data‑driven, decentralized economy.
Topics
Data as a Production Factor and New Capital
Frames data as a fundamental economic input comparable to oil or labor, detailing how its extraction, aggregation, and reuse generate value and reshape production, distribution, and wealth creation.
Data Cooperatives and Governance Models
Explores collective ownership structures for data, including cooperative legal entities, stewardship rules, incentive mechanisms, and governance frameworks that align contributors, users, and investors.
Privacy‑Preserving Computing & Open Algorithms (OPAL)
Describes technical approaches—secure enclaves, multiparty computation, differential privacy, and the OPAL protocol—that enable data analytics while protecting individual privacy and complying with regulatory constraints.
Digital Identity Infrastructure for VASPs
Details a layered identity architecture (certificate hierarchies, decentralized identifiers, resolvers) that underpins trusted interactions among virtual‑asset service providers and supports compliance with travel‑rule requirements.
Tokenization and Stablecoin Design
Covers the creation, issuance, and economic modeling of digital tradecoins, fiat‑backed stablecoins, and algorithmic stablecoins, including governance, collateralization, and regulatory considerations.
Distributed Systems Architecture
Integrates network design principles (autonomous systems, end‑to‑end, survivability), interoperable blockchain gateways, layered ledger protocols, and hardware‑rooted trust (SGX, attestation) that together enable a resilient, decentralized data‑driven economy.
Legal and Regulatory Frameworks
Combines compliance mechanisms (KYC, AML, Travel Rule) with computational law tools—Ricardian contracts, legal‑entity identifiers, MIT Computational Law initiatives—to embed enforceable legal rules directly into code.
Economic Models of Network Dynamics
Presents analytical models such as power‑law growth, damped‑oscillator stability, and network externalities that explain how data‑centric networks evolve, concentrate value, and achieve equilibrium.