Darrell M. West
Douglas Dillon Chair in Governmental Studies and Senior Fellow, Center for Technology Innovation, The Brookings Institution
Chapter Member: Maryland-Washington, D.C. SSN
Areas of Expertise:
Connect with Darrell
About Darrell
West’s areas of expertise include governance, technology innovation, and policymaking in the United States. He is especially interested in the role of money in politics and how technology affects public policymaking. He examines ways to strengthen democratic politics in the United States and how to improve public participation in and understanding of American politics.
Contributions
Why Politically Active Billionaires Threaten the Health of Democracy
Key Findings Brief,
In the News
Guest on MSNBC, December 5, 2019.
Guest on MSNBC,
Research discussed by , in "Will the Senate Change Tradition to Ease the Way for GOP Legislation?," McClatchy Washington Bureau,
Opinion: "Brookings Survey Finds 52 Percent Believe Robots Will Perform Most Human Activities in 30 Years," Darrell M. West, Brookings, June 21, 2018.
Opinion: "Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics in India," Darrell M. West (with ), Brookings, May 17, 2018.
Quoted by Elizabeth Beyer in "Why One-Third of American Working-Age Men Could Be Displaced by Robots," Market Watch, May 14, 2018.
Quoted by Zhu Dongyang and Liu Chen in "Location, Date of Trump-Kim Meeting Set with Serious Calculations," Xinhua, May 11, 2018.
Quoted by Peter Buxbaum in "Artificial Intelligence: How it Could Transform Transportation," Global Trade, May 1, 2018.
Opinion: "Will Robots and AI Take Your Job? The Economic and Political Consequences of Automation," Darrell M. West, Brookings, April 18, 2018.
Quoted by in "Facebook Sends Privacy Alerts to Affected Users," New Orleans City Business, April 10, 2018.
Quoted by Matthew Rusling in "U.S.-Russia Relations Likely Further Down amid Rumors of More Sanctions," New China, April 5, 2018.
Quoted by Sophie Davies in "As the World Goes Digital, Is There a Hack for Inequality?," Reuters, February 5, 2018.
Research discussed by , in "Trump Says Cancels London Trip, Experts Suggest fear of Mass Protests," Xinhua Net, January 13, 2018.
Opinion: "Four Scenarios for a Trump Presidency," Darrell M. West, Brookings Institution, November 14, 2016.
Quoted by Beth Stone in "Connected Learning: How is Mobile Technology Impacting Education?," Brookings Institution, December 1, 2015.
Quoted by in "Why U.S. Billionaires May Not be Able to Buy the 2016 Election," New York Times, June 1, 2015.
Opinion: "Next Generation Standardized Tests Face Major Technical Barriers," Darrell M. West (with ), Brookings Institution, April 15, 2015.
Opinion: "3 Ways to Provide Internet Access to the Developing World," Darrell M. West (with ), Brookings Institution, March 2, 2015.
Opinion: "Lessons for Democrats from the National Football League," Darrell M. West, Huffington Post, February 6, 2015.
Interviewed in "The Future Impacts of the Mobile Revolution: A Conversation with Darrell West," Brookings Institution, February 5, 2015.
Quoted by Jim Angle in "Lame Duck Congress to Tackle Spending Bill, Tax Breaks in Short Session," Fox News, November 6, 2014.
Guest on Hardball with Chris Matthews, October 13, 2014.
Guest on Hardball with Chris Matthews, October 13, 2014.
Quoted by Elaine Kamarck in "The Primaries Project: Where's the Money Coming From?," Brookings Institution, October 1, 2014.
Opinion: "The Democrats’ Billionaire Dilemma," Darrell M. West, Real Clear Politics, April 30, 2014.
Opinion: "United States and China are Leading the mHealth Revolution," Darrell M. West (with ), Brookings TechTank Blog, March 17, 2014.
Guest on C-SPAN, March 19, 2012.
Publications
"The Future of Work: Robots, AI, and Automation" (Brookings Institution Press, 2018, paperback 2018).
Argues that society needs to rethink the concept of jobs, reconfigure the social contract, move toward a system of lifetime learning, and develop a new kind of politics that can deal with economic dislocations. Presents a number of proposals to help people deal with the transition from an industrial to a digital economy.
"Nudging News Producers and Consumers toward More Thoughtful, Less Polarized Discourse," (with ), Brookings Institution, January 31, 2014.
Reviews challenges facing the news media in an age of political polarization, including hyper-competitiveness in news coverage, a dramatic decline in local journalism and resulting nationalization of the news, and the personalization of coverage.
"Billionaires: Reflections on the Upper Crust" (Brookings Institution Press, 2014).
Looks at the political impact of the super-wealthy, both in the United States and around the world, and examines how tycoons are pioneering more activist forms of electioneering and philanthropy.
"Mobile Learning: Transforming Education, Engaging Students, and Improving Outcomes," Brookings Institution, August 31, 2013.
Examines ways that mobile devices with cellular connectivity improve learning and engage students and teachers inside and outside of schools.
"Digital Schools: How Technology Can Transform Education" (Brookings Institution Press, 2012).
Looks at how digital technology is affecting the educational process and whether it has the potential to transform the manner in which K-12 and college students learn.
"Digital Government: Technology and Public Sector Performance" (Princeton University Press, 2005).
Studies how digital technology is improving public sector performance and affecting citizen engagement with government. Winner of the Don K. Price best book award.
"Cross Talk: Citizens, Candidates, and the Media in a Presidential Campaign" (with ) (University of Chicago Press, 1996).
Takes an in-depth look at the 1992 presidential campaign and how free and paid media affected democratic politics and vote choice. Winner of the Doris Graber best book award.
"Air Wars: Television Advertising in Election Campaigns" (Congressional Quarterly Press, 1993).
Looks at the role of paid advertising in election campaigns, both from a historical standpoint and the impact on contemporary politics.