[governance] reality check on economics

[Avri Doria]

On 20 May 2012, at 10:11, Guru गुरु wrote:

> On 20/05/12 18:54, Avri Doria wrote:
>> On 19 May 2012, at 23:39, Guru गुरु wrote:
>> 
>>> I think you have begun a useful thread of thought - the need for global regulation of business.
>> I did not go that far.
>> 
>> I was looking for what could be done at a global level to help avoid local monopolies in information services.
> 
> What is the difference between "what could be done at a global level to help avoid local monopolies in information services" and "global regulation".
> 
>> I also spoke of global work to help produce local regulatory reform.
>> I do not not advocate global regulation of business.
> 


Good question.  I think this is where we need to be creative in figuring out how to do things.  E.g  a global regulatory function, e.g ICANN use of contracts, might be tried.  I don't think that is has worked as well as hoped*, but I think it is a thought in the right direction.  ICANN does not regulate, but oversees a regulatory function that sometimes sort of works.  

In thinking about a regulatory function that is assisted but not overseen by global multistakeholder work, I think of a situation where the stakeholders can come to rough consensus on guidelines for local, for some definition of local, regulatory functions.  In turn, having come to these guidelines on a voluntary and multistakeholder basis, all parties pressure each other at the local level to live up to the rough consensus re-shared to the local context using their own methods: from governments making laws and regulations, to companies giving and withdrawing their investment, technologists shaping protocols to allow for the guidelines to be met (management frameworks etc) and civil society either supporting by buying or going to the streets with Occupy,  boycotts and other civil actions and sometimes even voting**.

avri


* Before you ask: 1) contracts seem to need to be rooted in national law, leaving us with the unfortunate situation of ICANN being anchored in a single country, 2) compliance enforcement is horrid (then again compliance enforcement is a problem in every regulatory system I have ever looked at) both of these could be fixed if ICANN had the will to do so.  

** When that mechanism works properly and isn't just another form of propaganda reaction.
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