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Publication Comparative Analysis of International Co- And Self-Regulation in Communications Markets(2007-09-01) Latzer, Michael; Price, Monroe; Saurwein, Florian; Verhulst, Stefaan; Hollnbuchner, Katharina; Rance, LauraGlobalisation, liberalisation and convergence of communication markets have triggered intensive debates about the options for regulatory reform, including the growing role of alternative modes of regulation (self-regulation, co-regulation). These alternatives or supplements to traditional statutory regulation are marked by the involvement of nongovernmental actors in regulatory processes. Both industry and policy makers consider alternative regulation to have great potential for solving problems in communication markets. Regulators are increasingly required to assess the potential and limitations of alternative regulatory institutions to inform or improve regulatory systems. As part of this, they are examining how existing alternative regulatory schemes work and what improvements can be made to them. Regulatory authorities are seeking to identify best practice in other countries in relation to self- and co-regulation and regulatory innovation. Empirical evaluations are intended to contribute to a better understanding of alternative modes of regulation and increase the knowledge base for decisions on whether various types of co- and self-regulatory solutions might be preferable to full statutory regulation. This report is intended to contribute to the regulator’s assessment- and regulatory choice-efforts. It examines whether and how success and failure of selected self- and co-regulatory schemes can be explained by their respective institutional design, by characteristics of the industries involved and by the established regulatory environment. In other words, the performance of selected self- and co-regulatory schemes is examined comparatively and it is investigated as to whether and how performance differences can be explained by differences in the organisational design of the alternative regulatory institutions (institutional/organisational success factors) and by differences regarding their particular industrial and regulatory environments (enabling contextual factors).Publication Followup Report - The Federal Institute for Access to Information in Mexico and a Culture of Transparency(2007-12-01) Fernandez Bogado, Benjamin; Martinez-Morales, Emilene; Davis Noll, Bethany; Bell, KyleIn the summer of 2007, the Center for Global Communications Studies’s team of researchers – consisting of Benjamin Fernandez Bogado, Emilene Martinez-Morales, Bethany Davis Noll, and Kyle Bell – began a follow-up study to assess the effectiveness and usefulness of the recommendations generated by the Center’s 2006 study1 as well as to report on any institutional changes at the Federal Institute for Access to Public Information in Mexico (“IFAI”) and changes in the political and legal landscape. In June 2007, the team visited IFAI, met with IFAI’s commissioners, and conducted a set of working group discussions with (1) representatives of the obligated agencies and IFAI, (2) representatives from NGOs, and (3) representatives from the media. This summary report was prepared with information gleaned during those sessions as well as from background research conducted by the team. Click here to view the original report.Publication Civil Society and the Global Market for Loyalties(2008-01-01) Price, MonroeGlobal Civil Society 2007/8 is the seventh Yearbook in a series that has become the standard work on all aspects of contemporary global civil society for activists, practitioners, students and academics alike. It is essential reading for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the key actors, forms and manifestations of global civil society around the world today. The Global Civil Society Yearbook is a collaboration between LSE’s Centre for the Study of Global Governance, UCLA’s Center for Civil Society and for 2007/8 the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania.Publication Toward an Understanding of Media Policy and Media Systems in Iraq(2007-05-01) Price, Monroe; Griffin, Douglas; Al-Marashi, IbrahimPart 1: Policy Recommendations Concerning Broadcasting in Iraq- Communications and Media Commission of Iraq This study was commissioned by the Communications and Media Commission of Iraq (CMC) as part of its efforts to stimulate debate on ways to improve the broadcasting sector in Iraq. The most immediate goal of this document is to describe the current regulatory framework in Iraq and to make policy recommendations for change for use by the CMC, Iraqi policy makers and international and local donors and implementing organizations. This draft was presented at a conference on Iraqi media funded by the CMC and co-hosted by UNESCO and UNDP, with the support of Official Development Assistance of Japan and the European Union. This conference took place at UNESCO headquarters in Paris in January 2007. A future goal of the study will be to provide a snapshot of the Iraqi broadcasting sector as it is today. A more comprehensive version of this study addressing this aim is being prepared and is to be published by the CMC at a later date. The subsequent draft will take into consideration comments submitted on this draft. It is important to note that the CMC’s commissioning and publication of this report does not mean it endorses its content or its recommendations. It remains a working document pending further discussions. The CMC would like to express its gratitude to the Stanhope Centre for undertaking this important study in very challenging circumstances. Part 2: The Dynamics of Iraq’s Media- Ibrahim Al-Marashi A recurring theme in debates on the future of Iraq is that the state is facing an imminent civil war among ethnic Kurds, Turkmens and Arabs, and among the Sunni and Shi’a Muslim sects. As tensions continue to escalate, the Iraqi media will play a crucial role in these developments. The pluralization of a private media sector in post-Ba’athist Iraq has served as a positive development in Iraq’s post-war transition, yet this has also allowed for the emergence of local media that are forming along ethno-sectarian lines. The Iraqi media have evolved to a stage where they now have the capability of reinforcing the country’s ethno-sectarian divisions. This policy paper examines the evolution and current state of Iraq’s media and offers recommendations to local Iraqi actors, as well as regional and international organizations, as to how the media can counter employment of negative images and stereotypes of other ethno-sectarian communities and influence public attitudes in overcoming such tensions in Iraqi society.Publication Republic of Iraq Communications and Media Commission: Policy Recommendations Concerning Broadcasting in Iraq(2007-01-01) Stanhope Centre for Communications Policy ResearchThis study was commissioned by the Communications and Media Commission of Iraq (CMC) as part of its efforts to stimulate debate on ways to improve the broadcasting sector in Iraq. The most immediate goal of this document is to describe the current regulatory framework in Iraq and to make policy recommendations for change for use by the CMC, Iraqi policy makers and international and local donors and implementing organizations. This draft is to be presented at a conference on Iraqi media to be funded by the CMC and co-hosted by UNESCO and UNDP, with the support of Official Development Assistance of Japan and the European Union. This conference is to take place at UNESCO headquarters in Paris in January 2007. This document is only a draft, and input is welcome. A future goal of the study will be to provide a snapshot of the Iraqi broadcasting sector as it is today. A more comprehensive version of this study addressing this aim is being prepared and is to be published by the CMC at a later date. The subsequent draft will take into consideration comments submitted on this draft. It is important to note that the CMC's commissioning and publication of this report does not mean it endorses its content or its recommendations. It remains a working document pending further discussions.Publication Minority-Language Related Broadcasting and Legislation in the OSCE(2003-04-01) McGonagle, Tarlach; Davis Noll, Bethany; Price, MonroeThere are a large number of language-related regulations (both prescriptive and proscriptive) that affect the shape of the broadcasting media and therefore have an impact on the life of persons belonging to minorities. Of course, language has been and remains an important instrument in State-building and maintenance. In this context, requirements have also been put in place to accommodate national minorities. In some settings, there is legislation to assure availability of programming in minority languages.1 Language rules have also been manipulated for restrictive, sometimes punitive ends. A language can become or be made a focus of loyalty for a minority community that thinks itself suppressed, persecuted, or subjected to discrimination. Regulations relating to broadcasting may make language a target for attack or suppression if the authorities associate it with what they consider a disaffected or secessionist group or even just a culturally inferior one. In light of such concerns, a crosscountry study was necessary to establish and analyse the existing practice of language regulations used by States to advance or restrict certain groups, as well as for the identification and possible development of best practices in language regulation in the broadcast media. This study reports on the basic regulations of minority-language related broadcasting of the 55 participating States of the OSCE. Specifically, the study surveys State practice with regard to: (1) whether there are any stipulated quotas on the use of language as a vehicle of broadcasting (both for publicly- and privately-owned and run broadcasters); and (2) whether there is any accommodation (such as, specifically allotted time, bands, financial support) for minority-language broadcasting. The OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) commissioned this study because of his realisation that a) a key marker of identity is language and b) how States affect or regulate the use of language or languages has significant implications for the exercise of rights. States, through regulation, can strengthen or weaken languages and thereby, at times, strengthen or weaken the position of national minorities. In the information age, a major theatre where this takes place is in the structure of media in various societies and that is the focus of this study. Thus, the present exercise seeks to identify broad trends and indicate the different approaches for each of these.Publication The Federal Institute for Access to Information in Mexico and a Culture of Transparency(2006-02-01) TCC Group; Price, MonroeIn the family of freedom of information laws globally, Mexico is a leader, partly because of its Federal Institute for Access to Public Information in Mexico (IFAI) set up under the country's new Transparency Law. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation asked an international team to study how IFAI has made a difference as the legislation furthers public understanding of government and provides for an informed citizenry. Evaluating performance was the first priority. But for an institution like IFAI to survive and flower and for it to make its greatest contribution, it must also be perceived to be performing in accordance with legislative hopes. Two stakeholders the obligated agencies or agencies covered by the underlying law and the public that uses the transparency law were canvassed as part of the study. We conducted a survey of the staff of IFAI itself as to its understanding of its role and performance. IFAI, as part of the architecture of government openness, has already contributed enormously to a culture of transparency in Mexico. That culture of transparency has contributed to undergirding democratic processes. Much of this progress is attributable to the Commissioners and staff at IFAI. They recognize, however, that there remain substantial opportunities to deepen and broaden this process. Our study seeks to make specific recommendations that will reinforce and advance what IFAI has already accomplished. Among IFAI's important mandates are: resolving appeals of a denied request under the law, training public servants as well in access to information and protection of personal data, monitoring compliance with the law, promoting and disseminating the use of the right of access to information, establishing guidelines for the management of personal data, and disseminating information about how the Transparency Law works. The study focused on these particular mandates as a basis for framing recommendations. In particular, there is an emphasis on extending the work of IFAI to as many groups and citizens as possible to make the Transparency Law effective. This outreach must extend to public servants subject to the law and the community at large. Indeed, for a deeply ingrained, robust culture of transparency to be established in Mexico, IFAI must involve state and municipal governments to promote transparency on the local level. The Transparency Law is largely an accomplishment of the Mexican civil society that lobbied and won its passage. It is a law that stands for unprecedented public openness in Mexico's history. The underlying hopes are that reach citizen throughout Mexico's thirty-one states benefit, directly or indirectly, from the functioning of the transparency laws and the discipline and educative support of IFAI.Publication The Enabling Environment for Free and Independent Media: Contribution to Transparent and Accountable Governance(2002-01-01) Price, Monroe; Krug, PeterThroughout the world, there is a vast remapping of media laws and policies. This important moment for building more democratic media is attributable to rapid-fire geo-political changes. These include a growing zest for information, the general move towards democratization, numerous pressures from the international community, and the inexorable impact of new media technologies. Whatever the mix in any specific state, media law and policy is increasingly a subject of intense debate.Publication Media, Elections and Political Violence in Eastern Africa: Towards a Comparative Framework(2009-10-01) Stremlau, Nicole; Price, MonroeThe problem of post-election violence seems to be ever-more present as complexities of nation-building and democratic development arise. This report deals with some relevant questions. It is based on the outcome of discussions at a December 2008 workshop organized in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia by the Programme in Comparative Media Law and Policy at the University of Oxford, the Center for Global Communications Studies at the Annenberg School, University of Pennsylvania and the Stanhope Centre for Communications Policy Research. Our objective was to examine the role of the media in the aftermath of competitive elections. The workshop provided the opportunity to explore the election experiences of Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Somaliland, Tanzania and Sudan in a comparative framework. The focus was on understanding why election violence occurred after some elections, what the role of the media was in either exacerbating or resolving disputes, and what this suggests about the broader political project and the state of the media in the countries under examination. This report is only an introduction to the subject. Additional structured research will be important in furthering our understanding of these important issues, but we hope that this provides a starting point from which to launch deeper studies. As a way of furthering research in this area, this report suggests three ways of analyzing the role of the media can play in post-election violence: 1) as an amplifier, facilitating and accelerating the spread of messages that both encourage violence or appeal for peaceful resolutions; 2) as a mirror, offering either an accurate or somewhat distorted reflection of the state and nation-building process; and 3) as an enabler, contributing to the process of nation-building. We conclude by offering media policy recommendations.Publication Public Opinion Research in a Conflict Zone: Grassroots Diplomacy in Darfur(2008-11-01) Gagliardone, Iginio; Stremlau, NicoleThis paper outlines a research framework to assess attitudes towards peace and conflict and support a form of “grassroots diplomacy” in conflict and post-conflict societies. Based on research in Darfur conducted in 2007-2008, a combination of methods that can be effective tools for addressing this challenge is detailed. The intent is to provide a framework that others interested in research in conflict areas can implement in different scenarios.