The
New America Foundation's Most Americans do not realize that they collectively own many of our nation’s most valuable resources – public assets worth hundreds of billions of dollars. Yet too many common assets are not managed in the public’s best interest. It could be called the enclosure of the American commons – the private appropriation of public forests, minerals, electromagnetic spectrum, government research and information, civic spaces and dozens of other assets owned by the American people. These practices encourage overuse, deprive taxpayers of significant new sources of revenue, and often erode democratic processes and shared cultural values. The
New America Foundation presents a half-day conference that examines the privatization
and commercialization of public assets. At the event, New America will release
a new report -- Public Assets, Private Profits: Reclaiming the American Commons
in an Age of Market Enclosure, by David Bollier -- and present panels addressing
current policy issues related to the commons of nature, information, science and
culture. Date/Time:
Monday, 03/12/01, 9:00a.m.-2:30 p.m. | ||