Why Information Grows

A bold attempt to synthesise a large body of cutting-edge work into a readable, slender volume… his thought-provoking book deserves to be widely read * Financial Times *Mr Hidalgo succeeds brilliantly in bringing his complex subject to life. His book is full of nuggets, from memorable phrases to interesting metaphors * Economist *[Hidalgo’s] innovative thinking about what drives growth could help us to navigate the turbulence of the ever more interconnected global economy… He has iden­tified a fertile seam * Nature *The concept of information is necessary to make sense of anything that is not a boring featureless mass, including life, mind, society, and value. Why Information Grows lucidly explains the foundations of this essential concept, while creatively applying it in exciting new ways. It is filled with interesting ideas, and a pleasure to read – Steven Pinker, author of The Language Instinct and How the Mind WorksWhy Information Grows shows us how humans infuse information into matter, making it more valuable than gold. Hidalgo’s work brilliantly spotlights the true alchemy of the twenty-first century and its impact from economic complexity to national competitiveness – Albert-Laszlo Barabasi, Distinguished Professor and Director of Northeastern University’s Center for Complex Network Research, and author of Linked

César Hidalgo leads the Macro Connections group at the MIT Media Lab. A trained statistical physicist and an expert on Networks and Complex Systems, he also has extensive experience in the field of economic development and has pioneered research on how big data impacts economic decision-making.