AW: [WSIS CS-Plenary] Civil society activism andCommunication-information policy

[Divina FRAU-MEIGS]

Hi Bill

I am curious about the US congress debates. can you give me more information 
on that please?
thanks
Divina

>From: "Bill McIver" <mciver at albany.edu>
>Reply-To: plenary at wsis-cs.org
>To: plenary at wsis-cs.org
>Subject: Re: AW: [WSIS CS-Plenary] Civil society activism      
>andCommunication-information policy
>Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2004 16:59:14 -0400 (EDT)
>
>
>Milton,
>
>Thanks for this.
>
>Liss,
>
>I would be interested to see your comparison as well.
>
>You did not comment on the calls by the Convervative Party in Canada
>during the election, albeit in an internal policy briefing, to remake the
>CRTC (the rough equivalent to the US FCC).
>
>
>Best,
>
>WJM
>
> >
> > A comparison with Canada may prove useful on the US question. there are
> > substantial differences rooted in part in differences between US and
> > Canada
> > on whether government should fund advocacy groups. (Many cdn groups 
>think
> > so, and often see private sector as more dangerous than government, 
>quite
> > different from picture in US).
> >
> > Soon I will be able to read your full report Milton, and also to send 
>more
> > notes on our off-line thinking about governance and civil society, as
> > promised in previous message.
> >
> > I wonder whether the test is "focused, ideological positions." Perhaps,
> > but
> > that may miss the forest for the trees. Mass appeal advocacy groups 
>often
> > get fuzzy around the edges, much to the chagrin of their more
> > fundamentalist supporters - take the spectrum of views in the
> > environmental
> > movements (pardon my pun). Some of us of course are not too keen on 
>narrow
> > ideological views. If democracy is in part a pattern of disagreement, 
>then
> > the more specific your position, the more opposition you are likely to
> > attract. Sticking to generally accepted values, for the sake of 
>agreement
> > and general appeal, and elevating style over substance is the prevailing
> > pattern everywhere ( if they can get away with it, what party in what
> > country post TV is not doing this lowest common denominator dance, I 
>ask?)
> >
> > It is also important to note the difference in Parliamentary systems
> > between first past the post and the variety of proportional 
>representation
> > systems. In the latter, more  focused, even extreme groups can go
> > somewhere, but in a first past the post system like the Canadian (where
> > the
> > issue of proportional representation is very much in debate now), the
> > "left" party, The New Democrats did not win so many seats despite an
> > increase in popular vote, because they tried to appeal nationally and
> > appear credible as possible contenders for federal power,  while the 
>Bloc
> > Quebecois did very well by remaining regionally focused (and slyly quiet
> > about their ideological slant, pro separation until election night, 
>after
> > the votes were counted.).
> >
> > Sorry if this is too off track -- over and out
> > back soon with cs and governance ideas
> > Liss Jeffrey
> > eCommons/agora
> >
> >
> > At 03:05 PM 15/07/2004, Milton Mueller wrote:
> >
> >
> >> >>> kleinwaechter at medienkomm.uni-halle.de 07/15/04 11:55AM >>>
> >> >But we have to look also beyond US and Congressional Hearings.
> >>
> >>Definitely. That is Phase 2 for us. In the current phase of the project,
> >>we concentrate on transnational collective action and international
> >>institutions, including WSIS.
> >>
> >>I suspect that there are major differences in interest group
> >>organization in Europe, Asia and the U.S. The absence of a
> >>parliamentary system in the U.S. means that focused, ideological
> >>positions cannot be represented by parties and so must be
> >>represented by advocacy groups.
> >>
> >>Your theses on NWICO as the end of "top-down" and WSIS as "bottom up"
> >>approaches are interesting, and if you feel like working in English I
> >>invite you (in my role as associate editor of The Information Society)
> >>to submit something along those lines.
> >>
> >>--MM
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>_______________________________________________
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> >>Plenary at wsis-cs.org
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> >
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> >
>
>
>--
><html>
><br>
>Bill McIver<br>
>Assistant Professor<br>
>School of Information Science and Policy<br>
>University at Albany, State University of New York<br>
>Albany, New York 12222<br>
>USA<br><br>
>
>e-mail: <a href="mailto:mciver at albany.edu">mciver at albany.edu</a><br>
>
>URL: <a href="http://www.albany.edu/~mciver">
>http://www.albany.edu/~mciver </a><br>
></html>
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