CALL FOR PAPERS
The Information Society (TIS) special issue on
SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF PUBLIC POLICY IN THE INFORMATION AGE
Edited by Milton Mueller (Syracuse University) and Becky Lentz (Ford
Foundation)
If the 1990s was the decade of market liberalization in media and
telecommunication industries, what will the next decade be? What will
define the agenda for communication and information policy in the next
decade?
Current policy discourse is focused on relatively narrow regulatory or
legal issues, such as broadband regulation, the proper scope of
intellectual property rights, interconnection and competition in
telecommunications, and media concentration. While recognizing the
importance of issue-specific policy research, this special issue would
attempt to shift some attention to the underlying social determinants of
public policy. The objective is to encourage the development of revised
conceptions of the public interest appropriate to a transformed industrial
and political environment. Interdisciplinary papers that bring together
insights from political science, sociology, economics, and cultural
studies are especially welcome. Ideally, papers would shed light on
current developments and place them in perspective that has relevance for
the future.
As more specific examples of the type of papers/research we seek:
* Analyses of long-term change in media and telecommunications
institutions that draw upon any relevant literature of institutional
change (e.g., the New Institutional Economics, the Old Institutional
Economics, social movement theory, property rights economics,
organizational repertoires and innovation).
* Papers exploring changes in the way citizens, consumers, business
groups or other constituencies are organizing to influence communication
and information policy, including new analyses of how so-called global
civil society or transnational advocacy networks are involved in
communication and information issues.
* Papers that assess the impact of globalization on communication and
information policies, and explore the relationship between national
policies, constituencies, and institutions on the one hand and
international organizations and constituencies on the other.
* How conceptions of the public interest in communication and information
policy have changed in response to new technologies, new industry
conditions and political and social developments. Are new theories of the
public interest in communications and information policy being formed?
* Explorations of the role of ideas and scholarly research in shaping,
fomenting or resisting changes in policy. How are normative principles
responding to the changing landscape?
Manuscripts prepared according to the TIS guidelines should be submitted
by October 1, 2003. Please send the manuscripts to: Milton Mueller
<mueller(a)syr.edu>. Authors are encouraged to discuss their ideas with the
guest editors.
