The New Natural Resource is a book about the role of knowledge in social and economic development. There is a need to address the process of developing knowledge as a social process and The New Natural Resource starts with the argument that knowledge is inherently a social phenomenon. This allows us to discuss the relation between individual opinions and what is regarded as knowledge. It also allows us to see how economic and political and democratic processes are interrelated.Acknowledging that we are more dependent on contesting processes of knowledge development in society implies that we should address how society as a whole is able to legitimize what it regards as the right kind of knowledge.