Second International Workshop on

Global Internet Governance: An Interdisciplinary Research Field in Construction

A GigaNet workshop, organized in cooperation with ECREA IIC, CD and CLP Sections

Brussels, Belgium, 11 May 2009

Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Campus Etterbeek, Building D, Promotiezaal D.2.01

 

Presentation and Objectives

Building on the success of its first edition in Paris, France, in June 2008, the purpose of this workshop is the presentation and discussion of work-in-progress in Internet Governance-related research with the aim to identify emerging research themes and design a research agenda. We are interested in exchanging information and ideas about national and regional projects and networks currently pursuing research on global Internet governance, but also in identifying academic syllabi or other education programs dedicated to these issues, in order to share ideas and forge possible collaborations. Scholars from various academic disciplines and all regions of the world contribute to this reflexive exercise, with the long-term objective of collectively building this interdisciplinary research field.

Rather than featuring formal academic paper presentations, the workshop aims at providing a survey and discussion of current academic activities and work in progress in the field of global Internet governance. The workshop is mainly organized around the 4 panels described below. They will address issues having emerged from the submitted contributions, as well as research methodologies. Panelists have been selected among the authors of these contributions after the evaluation process conducted by the workshop committee.

Final Program

09:00-09:30 – Opening Session

  • Welcoming Remarks by Workshop Co-Chair (Slides)

Luciano Morganti, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium

  • Presentation of the Workshop Organizers

Global Internet Governance Academic Network (GigaNet)

European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA), International and Intercultural Communication (IIC) section, Communication and Democracy (CD) section, Communication, Law and Policy (CLP) section

  • Contributions and Program Overview by Workshop Co-Chair(Slides)

Meryem Marzouki, CNRS & University Pierre et Marie Curie, France

 

09:30-10:45 – Panel 1 -Power Dynamics in IG: Transformation or Consolidation?

This panel will discuss research activities dealing with global Internet governance actors and their power relationships. It will examine to which extent new power dynamics are actually emerging.

Chair: Leo Van Audenhove, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium

Panelists:

  • Multi-Stakeholderism and Intra-Civil Society Networking: The case of the WSIS IG-working group mailing list (Abstract, Slides)

Bart Cammaerts, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK

  • Negotiation and the Global Information Economy: Implications for Internet Governance (Abstract, Slides)

JP Singh, Georgetown University (Washington DC), USA

  • The governance of web standards. Economic struggles in the XML case (Abstract,Slides)

François-Xavier Dudouet, Université Paris 9 Dauphine, France

Benjamin Nguyen, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin, France

Antoine Vion, Université de la Méditerranée, France

  • Proceduralization, Agencification, and Privatization: Internet Governance’s Three Pillars and their Normative Consequences (Abstract, Slides)

Meryem Marzouki, CNRS & Université Paris 6 Pierre et Marie Curie, France

  • Wars in Cyberspace : the recasting of military power in the digital age (Abstract, Slides)

Jean-Loup Samaan, French Ministry of Defense, France

10:45-11:15 – Coffee Break

11:15-12:30 – Panel 2 – Critical Internet Resources and the Never-Ending ICANN Case

This panel will focus on the global governance of critical Internet resources and will bring fresh views on ICANN role in this field.

Chair: JP Singh, Georgetown University (Washington DC), USA

Panelists:

  • Work in progress in Internet governance: a proposed study on ICANN’s opening for new gTLDs (Abstract,Slides)

Laura Abba, CNR, Pisa Institute for Informatics and Telematics, Italy

Stefano Trumpy, CNR, Pisa Institute for Informatics and Telematics, Italy

  • The Governance of Internet Country Code Top Level Domains in Europe (Abstract,Slides)

George Christou, University of Warwick, UK

Seamus Simpson, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK

  • Administration and marketing of the ccTLD and its policy implications on Internet governance (Abstract,Slides)

Keisuke Kamimura, Center for Global Communications, International University of Japan, Japan

Rolf H. Weber, University of Zurich, Switzerland

  • Neo-Liberal Globalization and Internet Governance (Abstract, Slides)

Hangwoo Lee, Chungbuk National University, South Korea

12:30-13:45–Lunch Break

13:45-15:00 – Panel 3 – Regulation of Technologies and Technological Regulation

This panel will look at global Internet governance research activities related to regulation. Presentations will address ICT regulation means as well as using ICTs as a mean of regulation.

Chair: Katharine Sarikakis, University of Leeds, UK

Panelists:

Adam Candeub, Michigan University (MI), USA

  • The CRID, an interdisciplinary research centre focusing on ICT regulation (Abstract, Slides)

Yves Poullet, University of Namur (FUNDP), Belgium

  • An assumption analysis of the Creative Content Online Public Consultation by the European Commission (Abstract, Slides)

Luciano Morganti, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium

Leo Van Audenhove, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium

  • Keeping Free Speech, Privacy and Property Real in Virtual Worlds: a Reasonable Duty for the Owners/Creators ? (Abstract, Slides)

Pierre-François Docquir, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium

  • Actively vs. Passive Volunteered Personal Information (Abstract, Slides)

Mark Lizar, London South Bank University & Identity Trust CIC, UK

15:00-15:30 – Coffee Break

15:30-17:00 – Panel 4 – What’s in a field? IG Research Methodologies and Boundaries

This panel will look at global Internet governance research activities in terms of methodologies and approaches. It also aims at defining the contours of the field.

Chair: Bart Cammaerts, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK

Panelists:

  • Mapping Internet Governance: theoretical framework, research methodologies and possible implementation strategies (With a little help from my friends…) (Abstract, Slides)

Claudia Padovani, University of Padova, Italy

Elena Pavan, University of Trento, Italy

  • Modes of Governance in Digitally Networked Environments: Perspectives from an Interdisciplinary Workshop (Abstract, Slides)

Malte Ziewitz, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, UK

  • Internet Governance – Under Construction: Doing Multidisciplinary and Multisited Research in ‘Real Life’ and Online (Abstract, Slides)

Marianne Franklin, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK

  • An Assessment of the Contribution of the Lebanese Universities in Internet Governance (Abstract,Slides)

Antoine Melki, University of Balamand, Lebanon

  • Public Opinion Formation in Convergence Culture (Abstract, Presentation without slides)

Jakob Svensson, Karlstad University, Sweden

17:00-17:30 – Closing Session

  • Synthesis of Discussions, Conclusion and Way Forward

Meryem Marzouki, CNRS & University Pierre et Marie Curie, France

Luciano Morganti, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium

 

Additional Contributions

These contributions have been accepted by the program committee, but their authors couldn’t confirm their participation to the workshop:

  • Technology-Aware Policy Analysis: Case Studies of Deep Packet Inspection and Network Management (Abstract)

Ralf Bendrath, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands

  • Internet Regulation ; Governance without the state, an exercise in global cooperation (Abstract)

Rafid A Y Fatani, University of Exeter, UK

  • The social imaginary of new media practices : issues for discussion (Abstract)

Pantelis Vatikiotis, Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, Greece

 

Program Committee

This workshop is organized by the Global Internet Governance Academic Network (GigaNet) in cooperation with three thematic sections of the European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA): International and Intercultural Communication (IIC), Communication and Democracy (CD), Communication, Law and Policy (CLP) sections. Members of the program committee are

Sponsors

  • Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Belgium
  • Interdisciplinary Institute for Broadband Technology (IBBT), Belgium
  • Research Center on Studies on Media, Information and Telecommunication (SMIT), Belgium
  • Computer Sciences Laboratory of Paris 6 (LIP6), France
  • University Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC), France