Joel Kotkin is a senior fellow with the Davenport Institute for Public Policy at Pepperdine University, a research fellow in urban studies at the Reason Public Policy Institute, and a senior fellow with the Milken Institute. He writes a monthly column, "Grass Roots Business," in the Sunday New York Times Money & Business section, and is a contributing editor to the Los Angeles Times Opinion section as well as a columnist for the Los Angeles Business Journal. An active participant in the new economy, he is director of content for Prime Ventures, a high-tech venture-capital firm specializing in new-media and technology ventures. He has written four previous books, including Tribes. He lives in North Hollywood, California.