Nation’s Cyber Security Subject of New Book by Economics Professor

By Jill Yesko, University Relations

Contact: (336) 334-5371

Posted 5-13-08

GREENSBORO, NC – A new book from Dr. Albert N. Link, an international cyber security expert and professor of economics, explores the role businesses and governments can play to ensure that dangerous data security breaches are avoided.

The book, “Cyber Security: Economic Strategies and Public Policy Alternatives,” provides the first systematic analysis of the economics of protecting cyberspace.

The 288-page book, published by Edward Elgar Publishing, is co-authored by Dr. Michael Gallaher, director of the Technology, Energy and the Environment Group at RTI International and Brent Rowe, a research economist at RTI.

“More than $1 billion is spent annually by the private sector on cyber security,” said Link, who is the United States representative on the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe where he evaluates innovation and competiveness policies for the European Union. “That translates to $1,500 per employee. Many companies have no idea how to employ the usefulness of cyber security tools. There are no benchmarks for companies.”

Based on their analysis, the authors suggest policy changes governments should make to help organizations in their efforts to protect cyberspace. Recommendations include helping to fund the collections, analysis and dissemination of reliable and cost-effective information related to cyber security to provide guidelines for evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of potential cyber security solutions.

“Cyber security is a matter of public good,” says Link. “The government should be making research dollars available to the private sector for related innovations.”

Link is an accomplished researcher in the field of innovation policy that uses economic theory and empirical analyses to evaluate the implications of science and technology. He has been an advisor to the National Academy of Sciences and has served as an advisor on science and technology to the governments of Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Korea and New Zealand.

Link came to UNCG in 1982 and received the University Research Excellence Award in 2000. He has served as both head of the Department of Economics and director of the MBA Program. He is the author of more than 100 academic publications and close to 30 books.