Excerpt from The Production and Distribution of Knowledge in the United States Had it not been for the persuasive powers of Father William T. Hogan, s.i., of Fordham University, I doubt that I would have been enterprising enough to embark on the research for this ambitious proj ect. The work was more laborious than I had anticipated, and the product much more voluminous than had been intended. The manu script had been promised to the F ordham University Press; but when it grew to extraordinary size, comprising no less than 84 statistical tables, it seemed more expedient that the Princeton University Press should undertake the publication. My thanks go to the Directors of both these university presses, to Father Quain for releasing me from my obligations and to Mr. Bailey for taking on the task. My relations with the Princeton University Press have proved particularly pleasant and I wish to pay my respects to Mr. John B. Putnam for his editorial help and to Mr. P. J. Conkwright for his designing skill. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

The Production and Distribution of Knowledge in the United States marked the beginning of the study of our postindustrial information society. Austrian-born economist Fritz Machlup had focused his research on the patent system, but he came to realize that patents were simply one part of a much bigger "knowledge economy." He then expanded the scope of his work to evaluate everything from stationery and typewriters to advertising to presidential addresses--anything that involved the activity of telling anyone anything. The Production and Distribution of Knowledge in the United States then revealed the new and startling shape of the U.S. economy. Machlup's cool appraisal of the data showed that the knowledge industry accounted for nearly 29 percent of the U.S. gross national product, and that 43 percent of the civilian labor force consisted of knowledge transmitters or full-time knowledge receivers. Indeed, the proportion of the labor force involved in the knowledge economy increased from 11 to 32 percent between 1900 and 1959--a monumental shift. Beyond documenting this revolution, Machlup founded the wholly new field of information economics. The transformation to a knowledge economy has resonated throughout the rest of the century, especially with the rise of the Internet. As two recent observers noted, "Information goods--from movies and music to software code and stock quotes--have supplanted industrial goods as the key drivers of world markets." Continued study of this change and its effects is testament to Fritz Machlup's pioneering work.

The increased reliance of knowledge in the United States has led to what is often referred to as an emerging knowledge-based society. Knowledge is important to several aspects of society (Campbell, 2006) and is produced in a number of settings (e.g., research universities, industry and government laboratories, independent research institutes, etc.) across the nation (Godin & Gingras, 2000). In terms of research, scholars and other professionals must have access to the appropriate resources (e.g., laboratories, funds, etc.) (Feldman & Florida 1994) to engage in knowledge production. Further, more knowledge is produced and distributed by the United States, largely through scientific journals, than anywhere else in the world (Phillips, 2016). This paper analyzes the production and distribution of knowledge through the sociological theory of Karl Marx and Max Weber. The primary goal of this study is to develop a better understanding of modern-day knowledge production and distribution processes as they result in one of the most important commodities in the United States. The theoretical framework Marx (1844/1848/1867) used to analyze capitalist production and distribution uncovers the means that are important in knowledge production and knowledge distribution, the parties involved in these processes, and whether conflict exists between the parties involved. This analysis also underscores the need for more thorough examination of knowledge production in the twenty-first century using a Marxian framework. The theoretical framework Weber (1946) devised to understand stratification shows that resource divisions exist among researchers based on their unequal access to class, status, and political power; the unequal outcomes in knowledge production efforts result from such divisions. Using chi-squared tests this paper examines three hypotheses that emerge from the application of Weber’s (1946) theory to researchers involved in knowledge production. First, I consider whether scientists have different amounts of class, status, and political power that influence the outcomes of their research. Second, I ask whether researchers’ reliance on technological innovations such as infrastructure lessens the influence of status, and increases the effect of class on their stratification. My final hypothesis pertains to whether researchers’ class and status are related to their political power. The results show interesting differences between natural and social scientists’ access to class and status. The study indicates the need for future research examining a more comprehensive group of scientists and lays the groundwork for further examination of the applicability of Weber’s (1946) stratification theory to researchers in the United States.

With this first of eight volumes, the eminent economist Fritz Machlup launches his monumental inquiry into the production of knowledge as an economic activity. Volume I presents the conceptual framework for this inquiry and falls into three parts: Types of Knowledge, Qualities of Knowledge, and Knowledge as a Product. Originally published in 1981. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

An essential history of the modern research university When universities began in the Middle Ages, Pope Gregory IX described them as "wisdom's special workshop." He could not have foreseen how far these institutions would travel and develop. Tracing the eight-hundred-year evolution of the elite research university from its roots in medieval Europe to its remarkable incarnation today, Wisdom's Workshop places this durable institution in sweeping historical perspective. In particular, James Axtell focuses on the ways that the best American universities took on Continental influences, developing into the finest expressions of the modern university and enviable models for kindred institutions worldwide. Despite hand-wringing reports to the contrary, the venerable university continues to renew itself, becoming ever more indispensable to society in the United States and beyond. Born in Europe, the university did not mature in America until the late nineteenth century. Once its heirs proliferated from coast to coast, their national role expanded greatly during World War II and the Cold War. Axtell links the legacies of European universities and Tudor-Stuart Oxbridge to nine colonial and hundreds of pre–Civil War colleges, and delves into how U.S. universities were shaped by Americans who studied in German universities and adapted their discoveries to domestic conditions and goals. The graduate school, the PhD, and the research imperative became and remain the hallmarks of the American university system and higher education institutions around the globe. A rich exploration of the historical lineage of today's research universities, Wisdom's Workshop explains the reasons for their ascendancy in America and their continued international preeminence.