Mr. Rifkin’s The Age of Access, explores the vast changes occurring in the capitalist system as it makes the transition from geographic markets to e-commerce networks and from industrial to cultural production. In his 2002 bestseller, The Hydrogen Economy, Rifkin 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, political and social institutions, just as coal and steam power did at the beginning of the industrial age.
In his newest book, The European Dream: How Europe’s Vision of the Future is Quietly Eclipsing the American Dream Rifkin argues that while the great American Dream is fading, a powerful new European Dream is beginning to capture the attention and imagination of the world. The nascent European Dream is in many respects the mirror opposite of the American Dream, but far better suited to meet the challenges of a globalizing society in the 21st century.
Rifkin is an advisor to heads of state and government officials around the world and speaks frequently before business, labor and civic forums.
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., Die Suddeutsche Zeitung and Welt am Sonntag in Germany, L’Espresso in Italy, El Pais in Spain, Le Monde in France, and Al-Ittihad in the U.A.E.
Mr. Rifkin is the founder and president of The Foundation on Economic Trends in Washington, DC. The foundation examines the economic, environmental, social and cultural impacts of new technologies introduced into the global economy.