Research Handbook on Information Policy

‘This useful collection of twenty-eight chapters presents an insightful view of the history of the information policy concept, and theory and developments in the field. The authors are drawn from a variety of disciplines, from philosophy to journalism, via communication studies and information science. They also represent a wider range of countries than is typical of this kind of compilation, coming from Spain, Canada, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Israel, although the majority are from the United Kingdom and the USA. Consequently, the range of cultural, political, scientific, and economic factors that provide the context for policy are more diverse than one would find in a text devoted to any single country. The editor has done an excellent job in pulling these authors together and producing a text that will benefit researchers and students of information policy… I reiterate that the text is an excellent compilation of contributions to the field and will no doubt become a standard reference on the subject.’ – Professor Tom Wilson, Information Research‘In 1976, I wrote a doctoral dissertation at Stanford University, The Information Economy. In 1980, I hosted a documentary called The Information Society. It was an introduction to a general TV audience of what I felt were—and would be—the key issues facing an information-based society.Alistair Duff’s compendium of thought leaders underscores the fact that each era brings with it the rich opportunities of positive evolution, and the pressures and problems of a society and economy undergoing extremely rapid change. As with the industrial revolution, technology, social values, markets, laws and equity are out of sync. Some coherent guidance will emerge from competitive market dynamics and governance. Some will fall through the cracks and remain a challenge. This book is a worthy effort to bring all that together.’ – Marc Uri Porat, Tech Entrepreneur and Angel Investor, US‘This collection makes a huge contribution to our understanding of why information society and information policy research are crucial - retrospectively and prospectively. Theorised from multiple standpoints, this collection of leading scholars tells us how power is articulated through information, enabling surveillance, perpetuating inequalities, and creating conditions for either sustaining or curtailing freedom of expression, privacy and access to information. Required reading for everyone interested in the potentials of democratic discourse.’ – Robin Mansell, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK

Edited by Alistair S. Duff, Visiting Scholar, Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3), Open University of Catalonia, Spain and Emeritus Professor of Information Policy, Edinburgh Napier University, Scotland.