A Working Theoretical Blueprint for the Internet and Democracy Project
From the Internet & Democracy project...
Last week my fellow research assistant, Josh Goldstein, and I had the opportunity to chat with Yochai Benkler about the Internet and Democracy Project.
In addition to being a Professor of Entrepreneurial Legal Studies at Harvard Law School and Faculty co-Director at the Berkman Center, Prof. Benkler is also the author of the influential book The Wealth of Networks, which discusses the new nonmarket collaborative political economy that the Internet makes possible.
During the conversation, Prof. Benkler drew a rough outline of the ways in which he thinks that the Internet influences democracy. I am reproducing those categories below in the hopes that they will serve as a starting point for continued debate and refinement. Developing a theoretical framework for how the Internet influences democracy is one of the goals of the Internet and Democracy Project.
I am reproducing the categories as they appeared on the white board. If anything is unclear, please ask a question in the comments section.
1. Pipeline
censorship
2. Public Sphere
deliberation
diverse sources
agenda-setting
semiotic/cultural democracy
3. Transparency/Accountability
watchdog
distributed ombudsmen
4. Participation in Government
formal
town halls
rule-making
5. Political Organizing
Orange Revolution
MoveOn
6. Something New
new type of political behavior made possible by the Internet
effective distributed action
- comment -
Last week my fellow research assistant, Josh Goldstein, and I had the opportunity to chat with Yochai Benkler about the Internet and Democracy Project.
In addition to being a Professor of Entrepreneurial Legal Studies at Harvard Law School and Faculty co-Director at the Berkman Center, Prof. Benkler is also the author of the influential book The Wealth of Networks, which discusses the new nonmarket collaborative political economy that the Internet makes possible.
During the conversation, Prof. Benkler drew a rough outline of the ways in which he thinks that the Internet influences democracy. I am reproducing those categories below in the hopes that they will serve as a starting point for continued debate and refinement. Developing a theoretical framework for how the Internet influences democracy is one of the goals of the Internet and Democracy Project.
I am reproducing the categories as they appeared on the white board. If anything is unclear, please ask a question in the comments section.
1. Pipeline
censorship
2. Public Sphere
deliberation
diverse sources
agenda-setting
semiotic/cultural democracy
3. Transparency/Accountability
watchdog
distributed ombudsmen
4. Participation in Government
formal
town halls
rule-making
5. Political Organizing
Orange Revolution
MoveOn
6. Something New
new type of political behavior made possible by the Internet
effective distributed action
- comment -