The widespread belief that the Internet will ensure dramatic and continuous economic growth and social progress owes more to wishful thinking than to a dispassionate analysis of the facts. Overcoming the technical obstacles of cyberspace is one thing; overcoming the political obstacles erected by special-interest groups is another matter.

Douglas A. Houston is a professor in the school of business at the University of Kansas.
Bureaucracy and GovernmentContemporary PoliticsEconomyGovernment and PoliticsTelecom and Internet Policy