The collection and analysis of data is changing the way economies operate. Are these changes so fundamental that they can be said to have led to the emergence of a new form of capitalism – surveillance capitalism? If people’s behaviour is made increasingly transparent, do we become a society in which trust is no longer necessary? Are individuals a mere appendage to the digital machine, objects of new mechanisms which reward and punish according to the determinations of private capital? How is social cohesion affected when people become dispensable as a labour force, while their data continues to provide function as a source of value in lucrative new markets that trade in predictions of human behaviour? How should we understand the new quality of power that arises from these unprecedented conditions? What kind of society does it aim to create? And what ramifications will these developments have for the principles of liberal democracy? Will privacy law and anti-trust law be enough? How can we tame what we do not yet understand?
The Fantasyland of ‘The Spirit Level’ and the Limitations of the Health and Well-Being Industry. After years of the Thatcherite free market rhetoric has The Spirit Level turned things round? Not surprisingly things are a little less clear-cut than the thesis put forward by the authors. Essay by Gerry Hassan in Open Democracy 2010
he EU has failed its citizens. It runs amok directed by Germany’s ossified and frail leader Angela Merkel, and a political class that primarily values its own entitlement.
As Facebook and Twitter are purging alternative media outlets, a neoconservative operative at a US government-funded think tank says more censorship is on its way. Max Blumenthal and Jeb Sprague discuss how scaremongering over Russia and China is being exploited to silence dissent on social media
Resumé of Leggett's lecture by Nafeez Ahmed (June 2018) "Late last year, Dr. Jeremy Leggett — solar energy entrepreneur, former oil man and government advisor — gave an eye-opening talk where he for the first time laid out his vision for two possible futures facing human civilisation. Speaking at an event hosted by Resurgence & Ecologist magazine, he told a gripped audience that the world had approached a major convergence point in which our choices would rapidly close off either one of these possible futures. One scenario heralds the promise of a successful transition to a new, more evolved kind of civilisation. Another scenario warns of a future plunged increasingly into scarcity, despotic chaos and conflict."
Las plataformas digitales son un instrumento para democratizar la participación porque superan las tiranías de espacio y tiempo tradicionales. Pero la mejora de la participación democrática tiene niveles de cumplimiento variados.
The Market Police from Boston Review. In the neoliberal project, state power is needed to enforce market relations. But because democratic politics can demand broader economic planning, the site of that power must be hidden from politics.
Screpanti, Department of Political Economy and Statistics, University of Siena. This is a modified version of the Preface to the book (in Greek): C. Lapavitsas, T. Mariolis and K. Gavrielidis, “Economic Policy for the Recovery of Greece” Athens: Livanis, 2018.
by RUTH W. GRANT, Duke University, and ROBERT O. KEOHANE
Princeton University
"Debates about globalization have centered on calls to improve accountability to limit abuses of power in world politics. How should we think about global accountability in the absence of global democracy? Who should hold whom to account and according to what standards? Thinking clearly about these questions requires recognizing a distinction, evident in theories of accountability at the nation-state level, between “participation” and “delegation” models of accountability. The distinction
helps to explain why accountability is so problematic at the global level and to clarify alternative possibilities for pragmatic improvements in accountability mechanisms globally. We identify seven types of accountability mechanisms and consider their applicability to states, NGOs, multilateral organizations, multinational corporations, and transgovernmental networks. By disaggregating the problem in this
way, we hope to identify opportunities for improving protections against abuses of power at the global level."
In spite of clear popular support, Iceland's new crowd-sourced constitution was recently killed by politicians. An ex-member of the constitutional council sheds some light on what happened - and why there might still be some hope for this unique experiment. (Thorvaldur Gylfason)
What the future holds in store and what will be the fate of the bill for a new constitution is hard to say at this point in time. But what is evident is that the battle of “who owns Iceland” is being fought and is at its high water mark. There is much at stake. (Thorhildur Thorleifsdottir)
This Saturday, a year after a Constitutional Council has written a draft constitution with the help of citizens, voters agreed this draft should be the basis for a new constitution. This writing experiment stands out for its surprisingly democratic process, but a closer look reveals some of its limitations. (Giulia Dessi)
Bitcoin is already transforming the financial industry. The technology behind it – Blockchain – has great potential to revolutionize many other areas of our lives too. In my talk at re:publica 17, I explore Blockchain applications under way in the fields of nature, democracy and work.
C. Boulding. Cambridge University Press, New York, First paperback edition Edition, (2016)Literaturverzeichnis: Seite 197-208; This book argues that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have an important effect on political participation in the developing world. Contrary to popular belief, they promote moderate political participation through formal mechanisms such as voting only in democracies where institutions are working well. This is a radical departure from the bulk of the literature on civil society that sees NGOs and other associations as playing a role in strengthening democracy wherever they operate. Instead, Carew Boulding shows that where democratic institutions are weak, NGOs encourage much more contentious political participation, including demonstrations, riots, and protests. Except in extreme cases of poorly functioning democratic institutions, however, the political protest that results from NGO activity is not generally anti-system or incompatible with democracy - again, as long as democracy is functioning above a minimal level..
S. Rodotä. The Information Society: Innovation, Legitimacy, Ethics and Democracy, 233, Seite 17-26. Boston, Mass., International Federation for Information Processing, Springer, (2007)
J. Lamla, B. Büttner, C. Ochs, F. Pittroff, und M. Uhlmann. Die Zukunft von Privatheit und Selbstbestimmung. Analysen und Empfehlungen zum Schutz der Grundrechte in der digitalen Welt, Springer Vieweg, Wiesbaden, (2021)
J. Lamla. Mensch – Technik – Umwelt: Verantwortung für eine sozialverträgliche Zukunft. Festschrift für Alexander Roßnagel zum 70. Geburtstag, Nomos, Baden-Baden, (2020)
C. Ochs, und B. Büttner. Privatheit und selbstbestimmtes Leben in der digitalen Welt. Interdisziplinäre Perspektiven auf aktuelle Herausforderungen des Datenschutzes, Springer, Wiesbaden, (2018)
J. Lamla, und C. Ochs. Paradoxien des Verbraucherverhaltens. Dokumentation der Jahreskonferenz 2017 des Netzwerks Verbraucherforschung, Springer Gabler, Wiesbaden, (2019)