Talking past each other: International organization internet policy in the developing world

Much of the research on the information age and global transborder flows of information has centered on the relationships between states or regions of the world. International Organizations (IOs) are also playing a vital, if less visible, role in these processes. More specifically, the growth and expansion of the Internet is a volatile, dynamic subject that is finding its way onto IO agendas. But are these agenda items actually becoming programs that have practical and beneficial results? This article does not attempt to examine how IOs use the Internet. Instead, it provides an analysis of how IOs discuss issues relating to the Internet. What are the goals and purposes of international organizations when it comes to the Internet? Through an analysis of Internet issues and programs in a few IOs, this research concludes that it is increasingly difficult to articulate the technology-related goals of both the developed and the developing worlds, let alone implement them in a way that is satisfactory to the involved parties. © 2004 Palgrave Macmillan Ltd.

Duke Scholars

Author Kenneth S. Rogerson Sanford School of Public Policy