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Innovation and Regulation within ‘Information Society’

Innovation in information and communication technologies (ICTs) has enabled the growth of a variety of network-based services and new media forms that are restructuring the ways in which we work, play and interact. But, just as it is the case that these technologies were not developed independently of social and economic influences, the ways in which they restructure our lives are not only the results of their technical configurations. The conditions under which they are supplied and accessed, and the uses to which they may be put, are all shaped to some extent by formal and informal processes of economic and political regulation. So-called ‘information society’ (a highly contested term) is not a fixed entity but is something shaped by the dynamic interaction between innovation and regulation/governance processes.

This specialisation aims to investigate the ways in which agencies and organisations at different levels attempt (and sometimes fail) to control networked technologies, services and media. Particular attention is paid to regulatory principles, theoretical analysis of the forces influencing regulatory outcomes and the ways in which regulatory actions are legitimated. Constraints on the possibility and scope of control are investigated, as this is an area characterised by rapid innovation, technological and market convergence and increasingly global delivery. The specialisation aims to examine both market and content regulation.

The introductory course will be delivered through a series of seminars and supported as appropriate via the UEL Plus virtual learning environment. Most seminars will incorporate student presentations and will be problem-oriented. The focus will be on ongoing issues where arguments are still taking place and outcomes are not certain, and the selection of issues will be influenced by the students’ interests. Students will be encouraged to make use of a wide variety of source material, complementing academic sources with government reports, position statements by interest groups, online news, blogs, etc.

Please note that this is a new specialisation within a new masters course. Some of the practical details of this specialisation are still subject to negotiation inside the University of East London and should not be regarded as fixed.

Indicative Reading

Armstrong, K.A. (2000), Regulation, Deregulation, Re-regulation, European Dossier Series, Kogan Page

Baldwin, R. & Cave, M. (1999), Understanding Regulation: theory, strategy and practice, Oxford UP

Borrus, S. (2003), The Innovation Policy of the European Union, Elgar Publishing

Braman, S. (2003), The Emergent Global Information Policy Regime, Palgrave Macmillan

Ermann, M.D. & Schauf, M.S. (eds.) (2003), Computers, Ethics and Society, Oxford UP

Greenstein, S. & Companie, B.M. (eds.) (2001), Communications Policy in Transition: the Internet and Beyond, MIT Press

Hall, C. et al (1999), Telecommunications Regulation: culture, chaos and interdependence inside the regulatory process, Routledge

Helberger, N. (2005), Controlling Access to Content: regulating conditional access in digital broadcasting Kluwer

Lessig, L. (2002), The Future of Ideas: the fate of the commons in a connected world, Random House

Levy, D. (2001), Europe’s Digital Revolution: Broadcasting Regulation, the EU and the Nation State, Routledge

Lyon, D. (ed.) (2003), Surveillance as Social Sorting, Routledge

Mansell, R. & Steinmueller, E. (2000), Mobilising the Information Society: strategies for growth and opportunity, Oxford UP

Meredyth, D. & Thomas J. (2005), Net Policy: regulating information in the age of networks, Sage

Paré, D. (2003), Internet Governance in Transition: who is the master of this domain?, Rowman & Littlefield

Tambini, D. et al (2006) Codifying Cyberspace: self-regulation of converging media, UCL Press

Language of instruction

The language of instruction is English

Minimum and maximum number of students

There is no absolute minimum or maximum number of students, but (subject to agreement from UEL’s administration) the specialisation this year can take up to 4 students from other ESST universities.

Some examples of thesis topics

As this is a new specialisation there are no existing theses to use as examples. Possible topics include:

· Analysis of specific regulatory interventions (e.g. EU attempts to limit the costs of using mobile communications internationally within Europe, attempts to curb dishonest use of premium-rate phone calls by television programmes)

· Comparative studies of the regulation of ICT services in different countries

· Investigation of content-related issues raised by new means of communication (intellectual property rights, ‘piracy’, censorship, etc.)

· Problems relating to the control and management of information (e.g. data protection, surveillance, spam, malware)

· Analysis of controversies about the (re-)shaping of the Internet (domain name politics, net neutrality, peering, etc.)

· Theoretical analysis of the principles and practice of regulation as applied to the ICT area (e.g. effectiveness, efficiency, enforceability, regulatory ‘capture’, formal regulation versus informal shaping/construction)

Schedule

Students will attend classes in the ISM102 module of the UEL Innovation Studies MA course (called “Socio-Technical Dynamics of ‘Information Society’”). This module runs from mid-February until the end of May, but it may be possible to treat part of this module as a self-contained introductory course for incoming ESST students. At least 8 ECTS will be awarded for successful completion of the introductory course, which will be assessed by means of a presentation and an essay.

In addition, ESST students are invited to attend a variety of postgraduate and research seminars given within the School of Social Sciences, Media and Cultural Studies.

Staff members who may act as thesis tutor

(This list is not exhaustive)

Miriam Mukasa (ICTs and international development)

Gavin Poynter (innovation, policies for urban regeneration, shaping of the ‘knowledge economy’)

Josephine Stein (science, technology and democracy, EU policy analysis, international relations and security, sustainable innovation)

Graham Thomas (regulation of ICTs, convergence issues, shaping of the Internet)

Eva Turner (ICTs, ethics and professional practice, gender issues relating to ICTs)

Web links

University of East London

Innovation Studies MA

Accommodation advice and services

Co-ordinator of specialisation

Graham Thomas

g.s.thomas@uel.ac.uk

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