Biographical Information
Rob Atkinson
Vice President, Progressive Policy InstituteDirector, Technology & New Economy Project
Rob Atkinson is vice president of the Progressive Policy Institute and director of PPI's Technology and New Economy Project . He is the author of the New Economy Index series which looks at the impact of the New Economy on the U.S., state and metropolitan economies. He is also author of the forthcoming book, "The Past and Future of America's Economy: Long Waves of Innovation that Power Cycles of Growth" (Edward Elgar, 2005). While at PPI he has written groundbreaking reports on a wide range of economic and technology issues, including offshoring; growth economics; R&D policy; telecommunications policy; and e-government and e-commerce. He also directed PPI's New Economy Task Force, co-chaired by Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle and Gateway CEO Ted Waitt.
Previously Dr. Atkinson served as executive director of the Rhode Island Economic Policy Council, a public private partnership including as members the Governor, legislative leaders, and corporate and labor leaders. Prior to that he was project director at the former Congressional Office of Technology Assessment. While at OTA, he directed "The Technological Reshaping of Metropolitan America," a seminal report examining the impact of the information technology revolution on America's urban areas.
He received his Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1989.
Email: ratkinson@dlcppi.org