Communications Policy, Media Development, and Convergence

Abstract

In the deliberations of scholars, policy analysts, and policy makers, television has exceptional power and influence. Yet the historical record shows that television has not changed the economics of attention for large populations in the course of their daily lives. This contrast is not merely a fluke or just ironic. It points to a major impediment to the development of information societies. State-owned-and-controlled media can be an important policy lever for overcoming this opposition and promoting the growth of more diverse media environments and more diverse ways of interacting with media.

Keywords: media, convergence, television, policy, attention, time, broadcasting, Internet, e-government

JEL Classification: L5, L82, L96, M3, K23