The course surveys the impact of the information age on the state, its institutions, citizens, and the relationships among them. The topics of the course includes the changing “balance of information power” among the state, its public sector organizations, and the citizens, the impact of the “end of work” thesis on the welfare state, the impact of the “global information village” on the state, the conflict between transparency and privacy, and the new ethical dilemmas of the computer age such as property rights, viruses, and hackers. During the course’s last month, the students will present their works and ideas in class.