The Multistakeholder Model of Internet Governance, ICANN, and Business Stakeholders - Practices of Hegemonic Power

37 Pages Posted: 30 Jan 2018

See all articles by Aaron Van Klyton

Aaron Van Klyton

University of Greenwich - Business School

Ayush Soomaree

University of Greenwich

Mary-Paz Arrieta-Paredes

University of Greenwich - Department of International Business and Economics

Date Written: January 22, 2018

Abstract

This research examines the relationship between the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and three groups of business stakeholders who participate in the multistakeholder model of Internet governance. The authors argue that ICANN’s use of ‘participatory evangelism’ serves as a device for the production of hegemonic power within the Internet governance model. By performing textual linguistic analysis on archival transcripts of triannual meetings from 2012 until 2016, the study operationalises hegemony as a dependent variable by linking stakeholder participation to the Internet governance policy-making agenda. By first identifying a ‘master variable’ that characterises the most general understanding of the data, statistical methods were used to construct a model with hegemony as a response variable. Furthermore, Analysis of Variance and Panel Data models were applied to measure variation in tone across the three groups of business stakeholders to understand how hegemony is produced. Our findings show that by using language that expresses hesitation and uncertainty, but at the same time is resolute with less complex discourses, the business sector stakeholders contribute to the production of hegemony that would theoretically benefit ICANN. This research underscores the importance of language and discourse as a driver of power within the Internet governance.

Keywords: hegemony, Gramsci, Internet governance, multistakeholderism, DICTION 7.0, and participatory evangelism, GigaNet

Suggested Citation

Van Klyton, Aaron and Soomaree, Ayush and Arrieta-Paredes, Mary-Paz, The Multistakeholder Model of Internet Governance, ICANN, and Business Stakeholders - Practices of Hegemonic Power (January 22, 2018). GigaNet: Global Internet Governance Academic Network, Annual Symposium 2017, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3107291 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3107291

Aaron Van Klyton (Contact Author)

University of Greenwich - Business School ( email )

United Kingdom

Ayush Soomaree

University of Greenwich ( email )

30 Park Row
Greenwich
London, SE10 9LS
United Kingdom

Mary-Paz Arrieta-Paredes

University of Greenwich - Department of International Business and Economics ( email )

30 Park Row
Greenwich
London, SE10 9LS
United Kingdom

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