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181. The State of the Natural World

Author:
Kathryn S. Fuller
Publication Date:
06-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Aspen Institute
Abstract:
The sad truth is that the natural world is everywhere disappearing before our eyes. More than 6 billion people fill the world, with a predicted 9 billion in the decades ahead. We are simply too many—the large numbers of poor struggling to raise the quality of their lives in any way they can and the fewer affluent who nonetheless consume so much of nature's bounty.
Topic:
Development, Environment, Government, and Science and Technology

182. Plant Biotechnology and the Environment

Author:
Gordon Conway
Publication Date:
06-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Aspen Institute
Abstract:
Many people who worry about the environmental effects of plant biotechnology fear that we are dealing with some new threat. I would argue that this is not the case. It is not plant biotechnology that is new and unknown, it is the combination of biotechnology and globalization, and the incredibly fast pace at which the two spread and interact, that should concern us.
Topic:
Climate Change, Development, Environment, Government, and Science and Technology

183. American Journalism in Transition: A View at the Top

Author:
Amy Korzick Garmer
Publication Date:
01-2001
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Aspen Institute
Abstract:
American journalism is in the midst of a transition unlike any other it has experienced in the 225-year history of the republic. Like other societal institutions, news organizations must contend with a variety of forces that are upsetting the status quo and shaping new business and cultural environments. These forces include advances in technology, demographic shifts and the changing interests of consumers, changing government regulations, market consolidation, and globalization, to name a few. The convergence of these market and cultural phenomena and the relentless advance of the information revolution have rocked the comfortably familiar culture of journalism.
Topic:
Globalization, Industrial Policy, and Science and Technology
Political Geography:
United States and America

184. Sustaining Media Pluralism in Democratizing Societies

Author:
Craig L. LaMay
Publication Date:
03-2001
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Aspen Institute
Abstract:
In 1974 a global "third wave" of democratization began when a military coup in Portugal ended the dictatorship of Antonio Salazar, who himself had come to power in a military coup in 1926. Over the course of the succeeding 15 years, about 30 countries changed from various forms of nondemocratic regimes to nominally democratic ones, most dramatically in South America and Central and Eastern Europe. During this period, notable transitions from nondemocratic rule also occurred in Africa and Asia.
Topic:
Industrial Policy and Science and Technology
Political Geography:
Africa, United States, Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia, South America, and Portugal

185. Reinventing Minority Media for the 21st Century

Author:
América Rodriguez
Publication Date:
01-2001
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Aspen Institute
Abstract:
For the fourth year, the Aspen Institute gathered together policy analysts, industry leaders, and academics to discuss the present state—and the future—of U.S. media that is produced purposefully and strategically for U.S. minority communities. These media, which range from small weekly newspapers in Filipino communities in Northern California to transnational corporations such as Univision (Univisión) which serves the Hispanic community, were the centerpiece of a lively exchange at the Aspen Institute in Aspen, Colorado, July 13-15, 2000.
Topic:
Industrial Policy and Science and Technology
Political Geography:
United States, California, and Colorado

186. Journalism and Emerging Democracy: Lessons from Societies in Transition

Author:
Craig L. LaMay
Publication Date:
01-2001
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Aspen Institute
Abstract:
The post-Cold War period has presented an opportunity unmatched since the end of World War II to restructure the media systems of much of the world. Free of political repression or ideological constraint, media in developing and developed nations have had the opportunity to ask: Consistent with democratic principles, what should a media system look like? And more specifically for countries emerging from authoritarian rule, what news media practices promote democratization?
Topic:
Cold War, Industrial Policy, and Science and Technology
Political Geography:
United States

187. Transition to an IP Environment

Author:
Robert M. Entman
Publication Date:
01-2001
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Aspen Institute
Abstract:
This year's Aspen Institute Conference on Telecommunications Policy began as an attempt to chart a future in which packet-based Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) will supplant traditional switched circuit telephony. Among other things, VoIP appears to be propelling the marginal cost of long-distance telephoning toward zero, a development with profound implications for interexchange carriers. However, prompted in part by Lawrence Strickling's specially-commissioned piece, “The Telecommunications Marketplace in 2002: A Somewhat Fanciful Scenario,” it did not take long for conference participants to realize that a great deal more than the future profitability of long-distance service is at stake.
Topic:
Climate Change, Industrial Policy, and Science and Technology
Political Geography:
United States

188. Uncharted Territory: New Frontiers of Digital Innovation

Author:
David Bollier
Publication Date:
01-2001
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Aspen Institute
Abstract:
Now that the heady first paroxysms of electronic commerce (e-commerce) have faded—and the online sector has experienced its first major shake-out—thinking about what it means to live in a digital economy is becoming more focused. Established businesses are becoming more strategic in exploiting digital technologies. Venture capitalists are becoming more discriminating in their investments. Governments at all levels are exploring how to integrate the Internet and other technologies to advance their missions.
Topic:
Industrial Policy and Science and Technology
Political Geography:
United States

189. Market, Technology, and Policy Drivers: The Future Structure of the Electricity Industry

Author:
Elizabeth Malone
Publication Date:
01-2000
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Aspen Institute
Abstract:
The electricity industry is being challenged on the one hand by restructuring and on the other by the potential of new technologies. Restructuring is proceeding slowly and unevenly, with uncertain national leadership, disputes over the jurisdiction of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), continuing and increasing environmental concerns, and a plethora of state policies and regulations.
Topic:
Energy Policy, Industrial Policy, and Science and Technology
Political Geography:
United States

190. Changing Rules In the Market for Attention: New Strategies for Minority Programming

Author:
Richard P. Adler
Publication Date:
01-2000
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Aspen Institute
Abstract:
In July 1999, a controversy erupted that focused public attention on the issue of the representation of blacks and other minorities in the media. It began when Kweisi Mfume, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), expressed dismay that only one of the twenty-six new prime time television programs planned by the four major broadcast networks for the upcoming fall season included a black actor in a leading role. Shortly thereafter, representatives of several other minority groups, including Hispanics and Asians, claimed that their members were also underrepresented in network programming. The controversy generated a good deal of discussion about how television programs are developed and cast. Eventually, the NAACP and the four networks reached agreements that identified a variety of steps the networks would take to increase minority participation in network programming.
Topic:
Industrial Policy and Science and Technology
Political Geography:
United States