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The chapter defines development in the new cultural and technological context of globalization. The chapter proposes that they key for development, understood as enhancement of human capabilities, is the synergistic interaction between informational development and human development. Informational development refers to the increase in the material wealth of societies as a result of productivity increases derived from new information and communication technologies, organizational networking and knowledge-based human resources. Human development refers both to the traditional notion of the welfare state, and to the multidimensional increase of human wellbeing, including environmental sustainability, democracy, peace, and respect for human rights. The institutional capacity to articulate the virtuous circle of interaction between informational development and human development appears to be the crucial component in inducing a new model of development that could provide at the same time better conditions of life and a more dignified life for humans.

This chapter explores the international politics of intellectual property protection within the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). It looks at power dynamics and the distributive issues of winners and losers to argue that the current emphasis on strict and expansive intellectual property rules has been initiated by the industrialized countries and their industries and does not cater to the needs of non-dominant actors, particularly developing countries. After providing an overview of intellectual property rights, capacity building, and “informational development” in developing countries, the chapter turns to the global governance of intellectual property and the rise of internationalism in intellectual property governance. It also discusses the globalization of intellectual property’s governance and the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement before concluding by outlining ways in which non-dominant actors can exploit the flexibilities provided by the relevant mechanisms to promote developmental and public interest objectives.

Silicon Valley was the birthplace of the information technology revolution and remains a model of information-technology-led economic development. Its record of entrepreneurship and innovation has been acclaimed, and imitated, for decades. While the rise of new technology regions around the world appear to pose a threat, this chapter argues that Silicon Valley is threatened less by foreign competition than by decades of neglect of the collective social and human development than underpins its economic success. The failure to invest in physical infrastructure, cuts to funding of public education and other public services, and the high rising cost of housing contribute to an increasingly unequal society. The San Francisco Bay Area offers an enviable quality of life for individuals who can pay the high and rising costs of housing, education, and other services. Those who cannot will be increasingly marginalized.