Past & Present Work in Europe

Jeremy Rifkin's newest book, The European Dream, published in September 2004, represents the culmination of two decades of intellectual and political work in Europe. The book won the prestigious International Corine Prize as the best economic book in 2005.

The New York Times notes, in an article on the new Europe, that Mr. Rifkin is one of a handful of American intellectuals whose economic and social ideas have been widely embraced in Europe by government, industry, and civil society.

Mr. Rifkin has spent nearly 20 years commuting back and forth between America and Europe-spending upwards of one-third of his time on the continent. He has lectured and consulted with virtually every major corporation in Europe over the past two decades. Mr. Rifkin has also served as an advisor to government leaders and heads of state and most recently served as an informal advisor to Romano Prodi, the former President of the European Commission.

Mr. Rifkin's world column appears in the leading newspapers and magazines in Europe including The Guardian in the U.K., Süddeutsche Zeitung in Germany, Le Soir and Knack in Belgium, L'Espresso in Italy, El País in Spain, Informatíon in Denmark, and Eesti Päevaleht in Estonia. Many of the ideas put forth in Mr. Rifkin's past books have had a significant influence in shaping public opinion and public policy in Europe. His 1980 book, Entropy, was instrumental in helping shape the intellectual debate that led to the rise of the Green parties in Germany, Italy, and elsewhere in Europe.

Mr. Rifkin's 1995 international bestseller, The End of Work, is widely credited with jump-starting the discussion on the shorter workweek in Europe. The book and Mr. Rifkin's subsequent consultation with French industry and French political leaders helped facilitate the successful adoption of the 35-hour workweek in France.

Mr. Rifkin's 1998 book, The Biotech Century, has become the standard reference on critical issues surrounding biotechnology and is the most widely read book in Europe on the genetic engineering revolution. Mr. Rifkin spearheaded the fight against genetically modified foods (GMOs) in Europe in the 1990s. Europe's opposition to GM food has become one of the critical dividing lines between Europe and America in world trade in recent years.

Mr. Rifkin's 2000 bestseller, The Age of Access, became a lightning rod in Europe on the impact of globalization on cultural identity. The book has also been adopted by leading companies across the EU as a corporate primer for how to make the transition from a market economy to a global network economy. The book was the recipient of two prestigious awards, the FNAC-Arthur Andersen Business Book Award for Best Essay of 2001, and the Bruno Kreisky Award for Best Political Book of 2000.

Mr. Rifkin's 2002 bestseller, The Hydrogen Economy, helped create a continental debate around the need to shift Europe's energy regime from dependency on fossil fuels to a renewable based hydrogen regime. In his capacity as a personal advisor to President Prodi, Mr. Rifkin drafted the critical memorandum which led to the EU becoming the first superpower to implement a long-term plan to become a fully integrated hydrogen economy by mid-century.

Mr. Rifkin's 2004 bestseller, The European Dream, has been translated into 15 European languages and has been the subject of numerous speeches by European heads-of-state, political party leaders, European CEOs, and NGOs on the future of the European vision. The book was the recipient of the coveted Corine International Book Award in Germany for Best Economic Book of 2005.