Emergent Global Information Infrastructure/Global Information Society: Regime Formation and the Impact on Africa

This paper combines a theoretical perspective on globalization and the information society with a critical usage of international regime theory in order to contribute to a better understanding of the current historical period of transition from an international telecommunications regime to a new and complex regime aimed at providing governance for the global information infrastructure and global information society. The paper employs a case-study approach to explore some of the specific national responses (i.e. South Africa) to this regime transition, with an analysis of potential best practices and lessons learned for other emerging economies.public finance, macroeconomic policy, policy design, international economic order, economic integration

Prospects for the Digital Economy in South Africa: Technology, Policy, People, and Strategies

E-commerce, South Africa, Information policy, Digital economy, Information infrastructure

Beyond Being There, for All of Us : Exploring Webconferencing and Mobile Remote Presence Devices for Accessible Global Governance

United Nations efforts to support multistakeholder global governance continue to lag for persons with disabilities. Given the expense of face-to-face meetings, accessible ICTs could play an important role, enabling remote participation. However, what types of collaboration technologies best meet UN goals and those of remote participants? This study compares use of webconferencing technologies to mobile remote presence devices (MRP) in a UN conference in Mexico addressing Disaster Risk Reduction. It takes an exploratory action research approach working with UNISDR and the Disability-inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DiDRR) Network #AllofUs to convene four remote hubs (Suva, Dhaka, Geneva, DC), each controlling their own MRP in Cancun and having access to the webconference, along with other remote participants around the world. We ask: Which technologies best support required conference tasks; and what social and technological challenges arise with their use? Under the conditions of this study, both technologies appeared to be complementary

Analyzing Trends and Topics in Internet Governance and Cybersecurity Debates Found in Twelve Years of IGF Transcripts

Internet Governance research generates substantial and innovative, interdisciplinary global scholarship. What are key topics and themes in this research area, and how do they relate to cybersecurity? This paper answers these questions by analyzing transcripts from twelve years of the UN Internet Governance Forum (IGF), asking: (1) What key themes, topics, and entities are discussed at IGF? (2) Which issues have remained consistent at IGF, and which have changed? And (3) to what extent is the NIST Cybersecurity Framework represented at IGF? Using the CRISP-DM approach to text mining, we find human rights as the most dominant IGF theme, followed by freedom of expression, with disability being a persistent issue. During entity extraction cybersecurity emerges prominently, as does blockchain and IoT. Topic Modeling illustrates the resilience of human rights, but also identifies the IANA transition, accessibility, and “fake news.” Finally, the NIST cybersecurity framework is represented clearly in the data

Tonking a theory of content: an inferentialist rejoinder

If correct, Christopher Peacocke’s [20] “manifestationism without verificationism,” would explode the dichotomy between realism and inferentialism in the contemporary philosophy of language. I first explicate Peacocke’s theory, defending it from a criticism of Neil Tennant’s. This involves devising a recursive definition for grasp of logical contents along the lines Peacocke suggests. Unfortunately though, the generalized account reveals the Achilles’ heel of the whole theory. By inventing a new logical operator with the introduction rule for the existential quantifier and the elimination rule for the universal quantifier, I am able to show that Peacocke’s theory only avoids verificationism to the extent that it does not satisfy manifestationism

Mental Health Advocacy Internship

While statistics indicate an increased need for mental health treatment in the United States, the stigmatization surrounding mental illness prevents many from seeking help. During my internship, I worked with multiple mental health advocacy groups in Northwest Arkansas, including Mental Health America and Judicial Equality for Mental Illness, to bring about beneficial change for mental health consumers. These groups have been successful in bringing additional treatment centers to our area and raising community awareness for the importance of mental health. Through my internship, I learned how to organize public awareness events, how to advocate politically, and how to meet the needs of mental health consumers. My experiences in my internship have greatly enhanced my confidence in my communication skills and have given me a solid foundation for a future in mental health advocacy