A Double-Edged Sword?

Abstract

Susan Sell’s academic career is a testament to the benefits that come from transcending disciplinary boundaries. From her graduate school work, on the effects of technology transfer on development, to her continued contributions on the international political economy of intellectual property rights, her desire to understand economic development has incorporated IPE, legal studies, regulatory theory, history and economics, to name only five areas. Despite early criticisms that this was “not really political science,” she has been vindicated in her belief that this work “was important and that it wasn’t going to get any less important.” Intellectual property rights are widely recognized as essential contributors (and barriers) to economic prosperity and national security (Halbert in Inf. Soc. 32: 256–268, 2016). In this interview, Sell discusses intellectual property’s relationship to technology and development, the challenges of conducting interdisciplinary research, and whether we’re witnessing the emergence of a counter-hegemonic movement against ever-stronger intellectual property rights.