n
internationally-recognized authority on global, economic, political and social
trends,
Joel Kotkin is the author of the critically acclaimed book, THE CITY:
A GLOBAL HISTORY, published by Random House/Modern Library, with editions
published in China, Spain, UK and the British Commonwealth, Japan and Korea.
Currently, he is writing a book on the American future for early next year
from Penguin Publishing, which will look at how the nation will evolve in the
next four decades.
Kotkin is Presidential Fellow in Urban Futures at Chapman University in
Orange, California. A highly respected speaker and futurist, he consults for
many leading economic development organizations, private companies, regions and
cities. Joel is also a Senior Fellow with the New America Foundation in
Washington, DC; a Fellow with the Center for an Urban Future in New York City;
and a Senior Consultant with the Praxis Strategy Group in Fargo, North Dakota.
A widely published journalist, Mr. Kotkin writes the weekly “New Geographer”
column for Forbes.com. He previously wrote the monthly "Grass Roots Business"
column in The New York Times' Sunday Business section for several years.
He served as West Coast Editor for Inc. Magazine for five years and
continues to contribute to the publication. His work also appears in The Wall
Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The American and on
Politico.com.
He was a Business Trends Analyst for KTTV/Fox Television in Los Angeles,
where, in 1994, he won the Golden Mike Award for Best Business Reporting on the
changing dynamics of the entertainment industry.
Kotkin is also the author of THE NEW GEOGRAPHY, How the Digital Revolution is
Reshaping the American Landscape (Random House, 2000); and TRIBES: How Race,
Religion and Identity Determine Success In the New Global Economy, (Random
House, 1993) which traces the connection between ethnicity and business success
— how in-group loyalties are becoming the driving force in the new global
economy. TRIBES has been published in Chinese, Japanese, Arabic and German. He
co-authored THE THIRD CENTURY — America's Resurgence in the Asian Era, (Crown,
1988). This title was translated into Japanese and Chinese, with a special
English edition published for the Pacific Rim. His first book, CALIFORNIA, INC.
(Crown, 1982) dealt with California's links to the emergent powers of the
Pacific Rim. Kotkin's novel, THE VALLEY, was published in 1983 by Bantam Books.
Mr. Kotkin has completed studies focusing on several major cities, including
New York; St. Louis; Phoenix; Laval, Quebec’s second largest city; Los Angeles
and Houston. In association with the Planning Center and the La Jolla Institute,
he also completed a year-long study on the future of suburban development.
He is currently leading a study to promote economic revitalization for
Salinas, California; the future of New York’s middle class; and on the future of
American communities for Reason Foundation and Chapman University. Mr. Kotkin is
also working as a consultant with the La Jolla Institute on a study for the City
of Ontario, California and with Praxis Strategy Group on plans for a heartland
development bank.
He lectures widely in the United States, UK, Asia, Australia and Europe and
is sought after as a speaker by major business and financial organizations.
Mr. Kotkin attended the University of California, Berkeley. A native New
Yorker, he has lived in California since 1971. Mr. Kotkin lives in the Valley
Village area of Los Angeles with his wife, Mandy Shamis, and two daughters.
