Book review: the rise of the right to know: politics and the culture of transparency, 1945-1975 by Michael Schudson

How has governmental and corporate transparency become a fundamental element of political culture? In The Rise of the Right to Know: Politics and the Culture of Transparency, 1945-1975, Michael Schudson provides a historical account of how information disclosure by governments and corporations has emerged as an integral part of public life in the second half of the twentieth century. As freedom of information is seen to be a crucial means of holding policymakers to account, the need to understand its history and development makes this book an essential read for anyone researching politics and open government, writes Monica Horten

Germany v Britain tussle over new EU data privacy rules

On the back of PRISM and the US surveillance scandal, the Germans are pushing hard to get the toughest possible outcome in the new EU data privacy rules that are currently making their way through the European Parliament. As Monica Horten, policy analyst and writer of Iptegrity.com argues, that positioning puts them directly in conflict with the Brits, who take a more pro-industry stance and really don’t want the new law at all – at least, not in its current format

Review: \u3cem\u3e50 Jahre WDR: Am Puls der Zeit\u3c/em\u3e by Klaus Katz et al. (eds.)

A review of the book 50 Jahre WDR: Am Puls der Zeit by Klaus Katz et al. (eds.) (Köln: Verlag Kiepenheuer & Witsch; 3 volumes, 2006

Book review: ctrl + z: the right to be forgotten by Meg Leta Jones

As more and more data is collected, shared and circulated online, should there be a right for this to be deleted, hidden or anonymised at one’s request? In Ctrl + Z: The Right to be Forgotten, Meg Leta Jones analyses this emerging debate and proposes new ways of thinking about the right to privacy in an increasingly digital world. While the book certainly raises questions for further study, this is an inspiring and pleasurable read that offers some guidance as to how to navigate this complex and controversial policy issue, writes Monica Horten

Westwinds: The Impact of American TV Shows on German Television and Culture in the 1960s

Coming on the heels of the economic “miracle,” as West German and international observers described the dramatic turnaround of the 1950s, West German consumer culture fully came of age in the 1960s. The most severe consequences of postwar deprivations like starvation, rationing or the focus on sheer economic survival became a thing of the past for most West Germans. The consumerist cornucopia promised particularly by the victorious United States, long desired and emulated, increasingly became a lived reality for quickly expanding segments of the population in the Federal Republic. From increased motorization and home ownership to a rapid influx of household and electrical appliances, increased disposable income fueled a leap towards a consumer culture already nascent in the late 1950s. West Germans worked less, spend more and began their eternal love affair with mass tourism. By the second half of the 1960s, commentators spoke of the emergence of a “modern way of life” and “new society” in West Germany

Review: \u3cem\u3eThe Media Were American: U.S. Mass Media in Decline\u3c/em\u3e by Jeremy Tunstall

A review of the book The Media Were American: U.S. Mass Media in Decline by Jeremy Tunstall (New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008

Radio and the Americanization of German Culture in the 1960s and 1970s

The purpose of this paper is to situate the development of German radio—more specifically West German radio here—in the context of the social and cultural changes in the Federal Republic in the 1960s and 1970s. The major themes and contexts which I will focus on are 1) the development of radio in West Germany in the postwar period; 2) the cultural changes of the late 1950s and early 1960s, when the mass media and consumer culture converged in very dynamic ways to radically alter the daily habits of West German society and 3) the influence of American pop culture in these developments, combined with the question of how this fits into the concept of the “Americanization” of European culture in the postwar period

Monica Horten: Proposed New EU Telecoms Package Doesn’t Uphold Net Neutrality

Under the title “Connected Continent” the EU’s Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroes introduced a draft new legislative package on telecommunications to the European Parliament. Policy analyst and LSE visiting fellow Monica Horten of Iptegrity.com, argues that draft legislation does quite not deliver the net neutrality promised

Review: \u3cem\u3eHitler\u27s Radio War\u3c/em\u3e by Roder Tidy

A review of the book Hitler\u27s Radio War by Roger Tidy (London: Robert Hale, 2011

EU Withdrawal Agreement: the real losers will be British businesses and British citizens

When Britain leaves the EU in March 2019, will it become isolated and not influential, to paraphrase Sir John Major's words from his speech last week? In this blog, Monica Horten (LSE) investigates the Transition chapter of the EU Withdrawal Agreement and scrutinises how far Britain's influence could be written out from the very start