For October, we are highlighting four new academic books at The MIT Press. In Repairing Infrastructures, Christopher Henke and Benjamin Sims explore the causes and consequences of the strange, ambivalent, and increasingly central role of infrastructure repair in modern life. Uncover an economic analysis of what distributed ledgers can do, examining key components and discussing applications in both developed and emerging market economies in Distributed Ledgers. Following along a diverse group of scholars as they redefine constructionism—introduced by Seymour Papert in 1980—in light of new technologies and theories in Designing Constructionist Futures. Discover a critical inquiry into the politics, practices, and infrastructures of open access and the reconfiguration of scholarly communication in digital societies in Reassembling Scholarly Communications.
Distributed Ledgers
An economic analysis of what distributed ledgers can do, examining key components and discussing applications in both developed and emerging market economies.
“Sustaining money through decentralized consensus entails not just technological and cryptographic advances but also the overall coherence of incentives. Townsend shows this with mastery as a top-notch theorist and with concrete examples. This impressive book is a must-read for all serious observers of digital currencies and the payment system.” —Hyun Song Shin, Economic Adviser and Head of Research, Bank for International Settlements
OPEN ACCESS AVAILABLE
Repairing Infrastructures
By Christopher R. Henke and Benjamin Sims
An investigation of the causes and consequences of the strange, ambivalent, and increasingly central role of infrastructure repair in modern life.
“Repairing Infrastructures speaks to issues at the core of lives and livelihoods across the globe, from consumer rights to planetary extinction. Henke and Sims address critical questions of responsibility at the time we need them most.” —Daniela Rosner, University of Washington; author of Critical Fabulations
OPEN ACCESS AVAILABLE
Reassembling Scholarly Communications
Edited by Martin Paul Eve and Jonathan Gray
A critical inquiry into the politics, practices, and infrastructures of open access and the reconfiguration of scholarly communication in digital societies.
OPEN ACCESS AVAILABLE
Designing Constructionist Futures
Edited by Nathan Holbert, Matthew Berland and Yasmin B. Kafai
A diverse group of scholars redefine constructionism—introduced by Seymour Papert in 1980—in light of new technologies and theories.