Information Policies and Strategies

1. Introduction

• How governments control information policies
• Other bodies that generate and control information
• Information policy as about any means by which the generation, distribution, and use of information is regulated
• What non-governmental agencies do within the realm of information policy
• Information policy must provide for different sorts of needs
• Information policy, public policy and other disciplines
• Conclusion

PART 1: CONTEXTS FOR INFORMATION POLICY

• Understanding the international contexts
• Globalization and technology

2. Globalization and information societies

• Information societies and information policy
• The information society: alternative views

3. Information policy and the public sphere

• The idea of a public sphere
• The structure of the public sphere
• The character of the public sphere
• Epilogue to Chapter 3

4. Information rights and information policy

• The rights of government
• The interests of business
• Common good
• Ann Wells Branscomb's information rights
• Internationally recognized rights

PART 2: INFORMATION POLICY SECTORS5. Censorship, freedom of speech and freedom of expression

• Powers of intervention
• Other forms of censorship
• The history of censoring
• Making arguments for free speech

6. Arguments for protecting speech

• Cohen's analysis of freedom of speech
• Implications of Cohen's strategy
• Structural strengths

7. Privacy and data protection

• The need for legislation
• Confidentiality
• Problems of power
• General questions
• Putting principles into effect

8. Freedom of information

• Confronting governments
• Building commitment
• Constructing the case
• Questions of model building
• Competing principles and pressures

9. Intellectual property

• The market reward system
• Recognized types of intellectual property
• Policy analysis questions
• Rules and practices
• Copies and originals
• Policy responses

PART 3: CONCLUSION10. Final considerations

• Information policies in non-democratic societies
• Non-state information policy
• Obligations
• Policy formation
• Outcomes: desires, intentions and objectives
• Do we really need information policies?

References and reading list