On the Political Economy of Privacy in Communities that Include Both Friends and Foes
22 Pages Posted: 16 Sep 2016
Date Written: August 4, 2016
Abstract
This paper develops a conceptual framework for analyzing privacy issues. Neither privacy nor fame are ordinary economic goods. The demand for both are derived from their associated consequences. In some settings privacy is useful, in others not. When applied to privacy relevant public policies, the analysis indicates that there are significant differences between the privacy-relevant policies of authoritarian and democratic regimes. The analysis also demonstrates why technology affects public support for privacy relevant policies. A shift from “stove pipe” to “big data” tends to reduce electoral support for government expenditures on detection activities.
Keywords: privacy, stealth, fame, signaling, big data, political economy of privacy
JEL Classification: D7
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation