Economist Paul Romer and strategist Gary Hamel see something deeper at work.

FORBES: Digital rules

Stanford University professor of economics Paul Romer, known for his theories about how knowledge and technology affect economic growth, is now thinking about how technology will make the hidden cost of wasted time less hidden.

FORBES: Hurry Up And Wait

The idea came from US economist Paul Romer, who proposes that the creation of charter cities -- semi-autonomous cities in rural sections of developing countries that would have some foreign supervision and, most importantly, would be founded upon a new set of rules -- can lift countries out of poverty.

BBC: The two sides of charter cities