Globalization and Governance in Cyberspace: Mapping the Processes of Emergent Regime Formation in Global Information and Communications Policy

This paper develops a theoretical perspective on globalization and the information society and combines it with a critical usage of international regime theory as a heuristic for understanding the current historical period of transition from an international telecommunications regime (Cowhey 1990, 1994) to a new and complex regime aimed at providing governance for the Global Information Infrastructure and Global Information Society (GII/GIS). In analyzing the principles, values, norms, rules, collective decision-making procedures, and enforcement mechanisms of the emergent GII/GIS regime, this paper differentiates between three regime levels: (1) Macro-Regime—global; (2) Mezzo-Regime—regional and sub-regional; and (3) MicroRegime—national. 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. Key findings in this paper are: (1) that a range of social, political, economic, and technological factors are eroding the existing international telecommunications regime (e.g., VOIP, call-back, VSATs, accounting rate restructuring, pressure for applications development, and SMMEs); (2) a new regime for global information and communications policy is emerging, but is being driven not by the broad possibilities of the Information Society, but by the more specific interests of global and multinational corporations related to e-commerce; (3) numerous strategic responses have been developed at national, sub-regional, and regional levels to the challenges of this transition in both developed and developing regions; and (4) without a collaborative response, the developing world will be further marginalized by this new regime. 1 Copyright © 2000 Derrick L. Cogburn, all rights reserved.