The Coming of Post-Industrial Society
Also known as The Coming of Post-Industrial Society: A Venture in Social Forecasting
Daniel Bell's 1973 forecast of an information-led, service-based society.
At a glance
Key ideas
From goods to services, Science-based industry, Technical elites …
See all 5Context
Not the first, Criticism
See all 2Connections
Also on this page: Key facts · Sources · Related pages
- Bell outlines a new kind of society that would replace industrial society as the dominant system.
- It would be led by information and oriented to services.
- He names three components: a shift from manufacturing to services, the centrality of science-based industries, and new technical elites with a new basis of stratification.
- He distinguishes data, information and knowledge.
Why it matters
- It popularised the idea of the post-industrial society and anticipated the knowledge economy.
Key facts
- Author
- Daniel Bell1
- Published
- 1973, Basic Books, New York1
- Discussed with
- Talcott Parsons, before publication1
Key ideas
-
From goods to services1
Employment shifts from manufacturing to services.
-
Science-based industry1
New industries built on science become central.
-
Technical elites1
Expertise becomes a new principle of stratification.
-
Data, information, knowledge1
Facts, their organisation into patterns, and their use in judgment.
-
The impact of the expert2
Employment grows fastest in services, and expertise gains weight.
Context
Connections
Written by
Sources
Last checked against its sources today
Is something on this page wrong or out of date? Tell us
The line under a date fills as time passes: empty when new, then one equal share each for a day, a week, a month and a year. For episodes and other items it is full at 2 years; for "last checked", at a year. A striped line means the date is known only to the month or year.