Information Policy

Abstract

For the next hundred years liberals and conservatives will engage in numerous political disputes over the proper formulation of information policy. A recent example was the dispute over requiring firms to give workers sixty days notice before closing a plant¹. Numerous factors will intensify the conflict. First, in an increasingly complex interdependent political economy, the information desired for decision making is frequently held by others. Second, in a highly regulated political economy, observations must be made to determine the behavior of the political economy in order to more rationally regulate the behavior. Finally, the rapid advance of information-processing technology is creating new conflicts between privacy and efficiency not addressed by common law or statute. As information processing technology advances, resolutions of the conflicts between efficiency, science, privacy, and property rights must be constantly reconsidered. Because most groups in society are affected by the resolutions, information policy is and will become even more contentious.