The Informational Commons at Risk

RECOVERING THE PUBLIC DOMAIN: MOVING THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN THE MARKET AND THE STATE, Daniel Drache and Richard Higgott, eds., pp. 175-201, London: Routledge Publishers, 2001

42 Pages Posted: 3 Dec 2008

See all articles by Alasdair S. Roberts

Alasdair S. Roberts

University of Massachusetts Amherst - School of Public Policy

Date Written: August 31, 2000

Abstract

Conventional wisdom says that we are on the cusp of a Global Information Society, in which new technologies will provide citizens with unprecedented access to information. This is an appealing but flawed vision of the future. Governments are still reluctant to disclose information about core functions. At the same time, neoliberal reforms have caused a diffusion of power across sectors and borders, confounding efforts to promote governmental openness. Economic liberalization has also made it more difficult to enforce corporate disclosure requirements. Meanwhile, technological change has spurred efforts by businesses and citizens to strengthen their control over corporate and personal information. Efforts to defend the borders of the "informational commons" -- the domain of publicly-accessible information -- will be also be complicated by problems of policy design and political mobilization. Imposing transparency requirements was easier when authority was closely held by national and sub-national governments. The task is more difficult when power is widely diffused.

Keywords: information policy, neoliberalism, access to information

Suggested Citation

Roberts, Alasdair S., The Informational Commons at Risk (August 31, 2000). RECOVERING THE PUBLIC DOMAIN: MOVING THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN THE MARKET AND THE STATE, Daniel Drache and Richard Higgott, eds., pp. 175-201, London: Routledge Publishers, 2001, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1309015

Alasdair S. Roberts (Contact Author)

University of Massachusetts Amherst - School of Public Policy ( email )

Thompson Hall
Amherst, MA 01003
United States
6175999029 (Phone)

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