Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/85143
Year of Publication: 
2002
Series/Report no.: 
Preprints aus der Max-Planck-Projektgruppe Recht der Gemeinschaftsgüter No. 2002/13
Publisher: 
Max-Planck-Projektgruppe Recht der Gemeinschaftsgüter, Bonn
Abstract: 
The Internet epitomizes globalisation. There are not many international treaties on Internet issues so far. For the time being, governance of the Internet by law will thus basically have to be governance by national law. Most cyber scholars are therefore in the business of exploring alternative governance tools. The typical approach is hybrid, combining state with non-state inputs, and using soft forms of governance, not command and control regulation. Against this background, this papers makes two related points. The preoccupation of the legal discourse with globalisation is partly misleading. The Internet has more and even more profound challenges to governance by law: the libertarian beliefs of many Internet activists; the egalitarian culture of Netizens; the ultra high speed of evolution; and the almost complete decontextualisation of Internet communication. Despite these many and profound challenges, Internet governance by law is not pointless. Separately, the law is able to parry each of these challenges, albeit to a varying degree. The law comes in more troubled waters, if these challenges compound. But even then, there is room left for the law. Policy makers should thus not rule the law out a limine. They should properly weigh the many advantages governance by law has over alternative institutions.
Subjects: 
governance by law
command and control regulation
cyberlaw
globalization
governing the egalitarians
governing decontextualized behaviour
internet regulation
JEL: 
K33
K20
H73
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.