About the Center on the Digital Economy

The Center on the Digital Economy is a project of The Heartland Institute, a 25-year-old nonprofit research organization based in Chicago. The center focuses on the public policy implications of the emergence and continued growth of the digital economy.

We believe where possible, rules for the Internet and electronic commerce should result from private collective action, not government regulation; that protection of private property rights is an essential condition for effective planning and the long-term growth of the digital economy; and that effective public policy advocacy and education are required to overcome opposition to change by special-interest groups if the public is to benefit from the many opportunities and efficiencies made possible by the digital revolution.

The Center on the Digital Economy has two co-chairs: Joseph Bast, president of The Heartland Institute, and James Lakely, managing editor of InfoTech & Telecom News. The center works with experts on the staffs of other think tanks and advocacy groups, including the Pacific Research Institute, Competitive Enterprise Institute, The Heritage Foundation, Progress and Freedom Foundation, Institute for Policy Innovation, Reason Public Policy Institute, and the Cato Institute.

Projects of the center include publishing InfoTech & Telecom News, a monthly national newspaper on information technology issues sent to every state and national elected official and public utility commissioner in the U.S. and nearly 1,000 allies, journalists, and reporters. The center also produces news releases, letters to the editor, and op-eds addressing telecom issues as they appear in the news; frequent public speaking at conferences and events; testimony before legislative bodies; and publication of occasional policy studies and other publications.

The center maintains and promotes an extensive collection of documents on IT and telecom issues on PolicyBot, The Heartland Institute's Internet-based clearinghouse for public policy research. It exhibits at the annual meetings of the American Legislative Exchange Council, National Conference of State Legislatures, Council of State Governments, and other membership organizations for elected officials and participates as a full member of ALEC's telecommunications task force.

For more information about the activities of the Center on the Digital Economy at The Heartland Institute, contact co-chair Jim Lakely.