This document provides a biographical summary of Dr. Raju M. Mathew's pioneering work in developing the field of knowledge economics starting in 1978. It outlines some of the methodological challenges he faced in treating knowledge as an economic commodity that can be consumed and produced. It describes how he developed theories of knowledge and published the first book applying economic principles to university libraries. Despite initial resistance, his work gained international recognition and he was invited to contribute to important conferences. The document credits inspirations from his teachers and family and remembers those who supported his intellectual pursuits.

1. ORIGINAL RESEARCH WORK ON
ECONOMICS OF KNOWLEDGE,
KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY
AND KNOWMATICS
DR. RAJU M.MATHEW

2. THIS IS BIOGRAPHICAL
 This is biographical, about Economics of Knowledge, my
pioneering work that I started in 1978 without knowing its value
and importance. It was before the birth of Information
Technology. I just wanted to make use of my deep knowledge in
Economics to study ‘Knowledge’ as a product for consumption
and production and the collective knowledge as wealth.
 When I started my study on knowledge, there was no previous
model or example to treat knowledge as a commodity, though
everybody was telling knowledge as wealth. Quantification of
knowledge and categorization of knowledge based on quality
and the relationships between the Consumption and Production
of Knowledge were some of the major challenges before me.
 Nobody was there to support me, but there were many to brand
me mad. However, I successfully completed my work. I am
documenting all such incidents on the hope that it will be useful
to the future researchers and above all the young generation.

3. ECONOMCS OF KNOWLEDGE:
MY DAYS AT THE UNIVERSITY
OFMADRAS
 After studying Economics in a very serious way at St.
Berchman’s College, Chanaganacherry, Kerala, India both for
my B. A. and M. A.(1965-70) and teaching Economics at St.
Dominic's College, Kanjirapply, Kerala, India, I joined for my
Master’s Degree in Library & Information Science at University
of Madras, Chennai, India in 1978 .
 Along with Management of Information Systems and Services
and Computer Applications in Libraries, I started to study on
applying Economic Theories and Principles on Knowledge
and Libraries.
 Since there was no computer available for our study at
Madras University in 1978, my practical classes in Computer
Application were conducted at the Computer Science
Department of the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.
Both the British Council Library and American Library (USIS
Library) Madras extended their support for us.

4. METHDOLOGICAL PROBLEMS
 Some of the basic methodological challenges that I
encountered were:
 1. There was no tool to treat knowledge as a commodity to
consume and produce and measure and categorize
knowledge on the basis of quality and quantity.
 2. Economists had taken no pain to study university libraries
as an enterprise charged with procurement and delivery of
Knowledge for the academic community.
 3.Libraries were left exclusively for the traditional librarians
who had given more emphasis on technicalities of university
libraries such as purchase, classification and cataloguing of
books rather than their management or delivery of services.
 4. There was not any model or research work in applying
Economics on a University Library.

5. ‘THE BENEFICIAL LIBRARY’
 The British Council Library, Madras had brought to my
attention towards a new research work of Prof. Gordon
Wills and Christina Oldman, ‘The Beneficial Library’
applying Economics and management Principles in a
British University library. It was an incomplete study,
ending with Literature Survey and a limited Data
Analysis.
 That had provoked me to write to Prof. Wills of the
Cranfield Institute of Technology, UK criticizing the book
and also stating about my work. He wrote me back that
he was eager to see the final outcomes of my work in
applying Economics on Knowledge and a University
Library. That had made me to realize the uniqueness
and importance of my work.

6. KNOWLEDGE FOR CONSUMPTION
AND PRODUCTION
 Even though I sought the help of Professors of Economics,
Management, Philosophy, Mathematics and Computer
Science, nobody was there to help me resolve the basic
methodological problems of treating Knowledge as a Product
for Consumption and Production and a University Library as a
Knowledge Procurement, Processing and Delivering Unit and
a University as a Knowledge Consumption and Production
Enterprise.
 I was not ready to surrender. After studying the History of
Sciences and Philosophy of Sciences and observing the
academic community in their knowledge or library use pattern
and behavior, finally I was able to complete my study.
However, the Madras University awarded me a just minimum
pass marks for my dissertation because my work was not in
tune with the tradition of librarians, including Dr. S. R.
Ranganathan, the Father of Library Science in India..

7. ‘LIBRARY RESOURCE ALLOCATION’
 My set back at the Madras University hurt me a lot, for I was
treated like a traitor or enemy of Library Science and the
conventional wisdom of Librarians in India. As had been
suggested by Prof. Gordon Wills of Cranfield School of
Management, UK, I submitted a complete report about my
work and findings.
 Prof. Wills asked MCB University Press, UK and USA, his
publisher to publish my work and on that basis they contacted
me. They asked me to send the manuscript .In 1979, there
was only the old type mechanical typewriter and even electric
or electronic typewriter or personal computer or internet was
not available in India.
 Using my typewriter, I typed the entire text and sent the
manuscript by Air Mail to England. In 1981, it was published
from England and the USA in the form of a book, ‘Library
Resource Allocation’ by the MCB University Press. For their
extensive reviews, it became very popular not only in England
and the USA but also in the USSR.

8. THE FATHER OF INFORMATICS
 In 1981, when my book was published, Information technology
was not born. In academic circles, there was not much distinction
between ‘Information’ and ‘Knowledge’ and Information was
taken superior to Knowledge; scientific community had heavily
relayed upon Information and Indexing Systems.
 My book was prescribed as a reading material for the Master’s
program in Information Management of the Syracuse University.
It was also came to the notice of Prof. A. I. Mikhalov, the Director
of VINITI of the USSR and the Father of Informatics and the
Chairman of the FID Committee on Research on the Theoretical
Basis of Information Science.
 Prof. Mikhalov nominated me as one of the twelve members and
the youngest member of the FID Committee, having consultative
status with UNESCO. The Indian Council of Social Science
research put me as the Director of a major Research Project on
Knowledge Management of Universities.

9. CONFRONTATION AND FRIENDSHIP WITH THE
NOBEL LAURATE DR. ABDUL SALAM AND
AUTHOR,
MR. ALVIN TOFFLER
 On the basis of my FID Committee membership, in 1984 I got an
invitation from the Intergovernmental Bureau for Informatics,
Rome , an autonomous body created by the UN and the
UNESCO, to contribute a paper for its World Conference on
Strategies and Policies for Informatics for Development.
 In my paper, I criticized Alvin Toffler for his inability to bring the
Third World in his ‘Future Shock’ and ‘Third Wave’ and Prof.
Abdul Salam, the Nobel Laureate in Physics for his ‘Islamic
Bomb’, besides formulating ‘Two Way Flow Principle for Data
Flow between the Industrialized and the Third World Countries
and ‘Theory of Mass Suicidal Mania’ of the Third World that
would lead to Religious Fundamentalism, Terrorism and greater
Military Expenditure and the New War between the Third World
and Industrialized World. I also proposed Strategies to
Redesign Informatics for Third world Development and
Global Peace.

10. OFFICIAL DOCUMENT FOR
REFERENCE
 Quite surprisingly, both Dr. Abdul Salam and Mr. Alvin
Toffler who were made as referees for my paper,
recommend my paper for the Conference with the status
of ‘official document for reference’ and it was translated
into eight languages. That shows the greatness of these
two men.
 Since the University of Calicut denied me permission to
attend the conference, in my absence, my paper was
presented by the organizers before the conference
attended by over 100 heads of nations.
 Both the Un and UNESCO made over 1000 million
dollars under the disposal of the Intergovernmental
Bureau for Informatics to help the Third World.

11. ABORTED INFORMATICS PROJECT
 Since I was the only contributor from India for the
Conference, I was contacted by IBI to submit a major
project proposal worth minimum $30 million for Setting Up
a Centre in Kerala for Redesigning Informatics for
Development and Global Peace, within ten days in Nov.
1984. The proposal must be routed through the
Government of India with the recommendation of the
Calicut University.
 As the Vice-Chancellor was against such a big project, that
too in Informatics, a quite unknown field for the him and his
Professors and also the members of the University
Syndicate (the Governing Council), I could not proceed
with the Project. Had it been implemented, Kerala would
have been far ahead in Information Technology. Probably,
in 1984, the top men at the Calicut University, including the
academic community, could not understand the meaning
and implications of Computer and Informatics. This was
taken place about 28 years ago in Kerala.

12. MATHEW’S THEORIES OF KNOWLEDGE
 In Dec. 1984, Prof. Mikhalov asked me to contribute a
paper for the forthcoming collection of papers,
‘Theoretical Problems of Informatics’, developing at
least one original theory. I took it as a challenge for I
found that Consumption and Production of Information
or Knowledge and their interrelationships were the basic
problem of Informatics in the coming years.
 In 1985, the USSR Academy of Sciences published my
two theories : Information Consumption-Production
Correlation and the Stage Theory of Information
Consumption-Production growth for the FID Committee
in Russian and English and subsequently appeared over
eight languages. Now they are known as Mathew’s
Theories of Knowledge and they have emerged as an
area for research.

13. INTERANTIONAL INFORMATION
ECONOMY
 For the World Conference on ‘International Information
Economy’ held in the USA in 1985, on the basis of a
specific invitation, I contributed a paper, ‘India and
International Information Economy’ and all the
contributions were published in the International
Information Economy Handbook, edited by Russell
Pipe, 1985.
 This work is considered as the first work on
Globalization and the role of Information Technology in
shaping globalization. My paper helped the international
community understand the progressive policies of India
to become an Information Economy under the then
Prime Minister, Mr. Rajive Ghandi. He even wrote me ,
expressing his appreciation for my works.

14. KNOWMATICS AND MATHEW’S THEORIES
 Information Technology Revolution had become a
reality by 1987. Information and Communication
Technologies have pervaded in almost all sectors
and human activities, Banking, Finance,
International Trade Corporate and Governmental
Administration and so on. IT had emerged as a
force to determine the fate of nations as well as
business or industrial enterprises. However, for the
inherent weakness, I T could not enter in
‘Knowledge’ rather than Data or Information. This
had made Mathew to propound ‘Knowmatics’ –
Mathematics and Engineering of Knowledge, as an
elaboration of Mathew’s Theories of Knowledge in
2005.

15. REMEMBERING THOSE WHO
INSPIRED
 It was Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan, the father of Malayalam Language who
taught the great lesson that ‘Knowledge is the supreme wealth’ during
16th century in Kerala. I learned it when I was a student in my primary school
in Koratty a remote village near Erumely in Kerala, that still persists in my
mind and makes me to apply Economics in Knowledge.
 My teachers in Economics at S.B. College, Changanacherry include, Prof.
C.Z. Scaria, Dr. Josepha Powathil (Arch-Bishop), Prof. T. K. Francis and
Prof. C.O. Abraham who taught me the basic lessons in Economics and
inspired me to explore Economics, that I am still continuing.
 It was Prof. G. Bhattachariya who asked me to make use of my knowledge
in Economics to study Knowledge and Libraries at Madras University. Dr. A.
Sukumaran Nair (formerly the Vice-Chancellor of M.G. University) helped
me a lot in conducting original research works in Educational Informatics
and University Management.
 In Calicut University, my fellow teachers Dr. M.G.S.Narayan and
Dr.K.G.Adiyodi and Prof. M. M. Ghani (Vice-Chancellor) and Prof. Sukumar
Azhikode (Pro-Vice-Chancellor) helped inspired me to pursue my intellectual
adventures. My greatest source of inspiration was my mother and my late
wife, Prof.(Dr.) Santhamma Raju from 1978 to 1999. At present, I am getting
full support and encouragement from my wife, Rani Raju since 2000,
besides my children, Ranjit, Reni and Priyanaka.