A conversation about the recent history of telecom+digital inclusion in Brazil, focusing on related public policy issues in education and culture; social welfare; business practices; and industrial policies.

Gilson Schwartz is the Academic Director, City of Knowledge, Institute of Advanced Studies, University of São Paulo. He Graduated in Economics and Social Sciences, holds a PhD in Economic Theory on the philosophical foundations of John Maynard Keynes political economy of time and value from the Institute of Economics at the State University of Campinas.

Designed and produced a simulation of digital television that won the National Innovation Prize in 2003 (the “city” acted as content advisor to the Technological Research Institute of the State of São Paulo, IPT, a 103-years old organization that showed its future digital network through the dramatic live simulation of a public research interface). He has served as an advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Science and Technology Department (Knowledge Management Chamber). Advisor to the National Information Technology Institute at the Civil Office of the Presidency of Brazil. Advisor to the Special Secretary of the National Economic and Social Development Council.

Gilson Schwartz is a member of the organizing committee of the international conference “Global Wisdom: Center and Periphery in the Society of Knowledge”, jointly organized by the Council and the Ministries of Communication and of Foreign Affairs and serves as an editorial advisor and regular contributor to the newspaper Folha de S. Paulo since 1983. Former Chief Economist, advisor to the Economic Research Unit of BankBoston, Brazil. He is the author of books on international economics which focus on Asian experiences and history of economic thought and has been awarded numerous fellowship throughout the world.

His past academic appointments are from the Business School of São Paulo (EAESP-FGV-SP) in 1983, at the Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP) from 1984 to 1986, at the Institute of Economics of the State University of Campinas from 1985 to 1995 and at the Research Center on International Relations of the University of São Paulo from 1995 to 2000. Since 2005 he is a professor in the Department of Film, Radio and TV School of Communications and Arts at University of São Paulo, responsible for discipline of post-graduation “Economics of Information and New Media.”