Standardization and digital enclosure : the privatization of standards, knowledge, and policy in the age of global information technology

Recent trends have shown increasing privatization of standardization activities under various corporations, trade associations, and consortia, raising significant public policy issues about how the public interest may be represented. ""Standardization and Digital Enclosure: The Privatization of Standards, Knowledge, and Policy in the Age of Global Information Technology"" establishes a framework of analysis for public policy discussion and debate. Discussing topics such as social practices and political economic discourse, this book offers a truly interdisciplinary approach to standardization and privatization valuable to technical, economic, and political researchers and practitioners, as well as academicians involved in related fields.

• Abstract p. viii
• Preface p. x
• Acknowledgment p. xxiii
• Chapter I Introduction to the Study p. 1
• Introduction p. 1
• Purpose p. 2
• The Problem p. 2
• Rationale and Approach p. 4
• Research Question p. 5
• The Discourse on Enclosure p. 5
• The Discourse on Standards p. 6
• Methodological Approaches p. 7
• Scope of this Study p. 7
• Target Audience p. 11
• Perspective of the Researcher p. 11
• Conclusion p. 12
• References p. 13
• Endnotes p. 16
• Chapter II Standards and Standardization Practice p. 18
• Introduction p. 18
• Overview of the Standardization System p. 20
• Taxonomy of Standards p. 21
• The International Landscape p. 23
• Divergent Systems and Cultures p. 25
• The U.S. Standardization System p. 27
• Conclusion p. 34
• References p. 35
• Endnotes p. 37
• Chapter III The Global Context of Standardization p. 42
• Introduction p. 42
• Immediate Context of the Study p. 42
• Greater Context of the Study p. 44
• Discourse on Enclosure p. 49
• The Standards Discourse p. 56
• Discourse on Social Construction of Technology p. 58
• Institutionalization p. 59
• Conclusion p. 59
• References p. 60
• Endnotes p. 75
• Chapter IV Theoretical and Methodological Approaches p. 78
• Introduction p. 78
• Discourse as Theory and Method p. 80
• Relevant Discourses and Social Practices p. 81
• Theoretical Perspectives p. 83
• Research Questions p. 96
• Conclusion p. 97
• References p. 98
• Endnotes p. 103
• Chapter V Situated Discourse and Essential Terms p. 105
• Introduction p. 105
• Field Research Method p. 106
• Essential Terms of the Discourse p. 107
• Conclusion p. 114
• References p. 114
• Endnotes p. 115
• Chapter VI Traditional Institutional Structures and Practices p. 117
• Introduction p. 117
• ITU-International Telecommunication Union p. 118
• IEC-International Electrotechnical Commission p. 126
• ISO-International Organization for Standardization p. 130
• Conclusion p. 135
• References p. 138
• Endnotes p. 139
• Chapter VII Discourse on Standardization: Public or Private? p. 141
• Introduction p. 141
• Structure and Openness p. 142
• Taxonomy of Arguments and Discourses p. 155
• Analysis of Cases p. 166
• Responses p. 179
• Conclusion p. 184
• References p. 185
• Endnotes p. 189
• Chapter VIII Conclusion p. 192
• Introduction p. 192
• Research Questions and Conclusions p. 192
• Elaboration of Conclusions p. 194
• Recommendations p. 200
• Summary of the Study p. 200
• Results of the Research and Analysis p. 202
• Claims for Legitimacy p. 204
• Limitations of the Study p. 204
• Directions for Further Research p. 207
• Observations p. 211
• References p. 213
• Endnotes p. 215
• Compilation of References p. 216
• Glossary p. 237
• About the Author p. 243
• Appendix p. 244
• Index p. 355