The aim of this paper is to describe and analyze people's confidence in political institutions in the BRICS countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. I argue that the quality of macroeconomic indica...The aim of this paper is to describe and analyze people's confidence in political institutions in the BRICS countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. I argue that the quality of macroeconomic indicators cannot explain the variation in political confidence between the five most dynamic new emerging economies, and that there is no substantial difference among young, middle-aged, and senior-agent groups. By combing data from the Asia Barometer Survey and the World Value Survey, the author provides two complementary approaches, one sociocultural and the other micropolitical, to reveal the factors that influence people's confidence in four major political institutions. The explanatory effects of these two approaches are mixed. Political identity and values, in most cases, have a significant impact on political confidence. On the other hand, high levels of interpersonal social trust, individual happiness, and satisfaction with living standards also show positive influences.展开更多
This article addresses the evolution of the Internet from a loosely organized, decentralized, and pluralistic system to the Next Internet, a tightly controlled, centralized and commodified system under corporate and g...This article addresses the evolution of the Internet from a loosely organized, decentralized, and pluralistic system to the Next Internet, a tightly controlled, centralized and commodified system under corporate and government control. Drawing on a political economy perspective, it begins by addressing the technologies that comprise the Next Internet. These include Cloud Computing, Big Data Analytics, and the Internet of Things whose convergence raises significant issues in the political economy of communication and society. The paper concentrates specifically on military, environmental, economic, privacy, and labor problems. It concludes by considering the significance of viewing the Next Internet as a public utility like electricity and water.展开更多
文摘The aim of this paper is to describe and analyze people's confidence in political institutions in the BRICS countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. I argue that the quality of macroeconomic indicators cannot explain the variation in political confidence between the five most dynamic new emerging economies, and that there is no substantial difference among young, middle-aged, and senior-agent groups. By combing data from the Asia Barometer Survey and the World Value Survey, the author provides two complementary approaches, one sociocultural and the other micropolitical, to reveal the factors that influence people's confidence in four major political institutions. The explanatory effects of these two approaches are mixed. Political identity and values, in most cases, have a significant impact on political confidence. On the other hand, high levels of interpersonal social trust, individual happiness, and satisfaction with living standards also show positive influences.
文摘This article addresses the evolution of the Internet from a loosely organized, decentralized, and pluralistic system to the Next Internet, a tightly controlled, centralized and commodified system under corporate and government control. Drawing on a political economy perspective, it begins by addressing the technologies that comprise the Next Internet. These include Cloud Computing, Big Data Analytics, and the Internet of Things whose convergence raises significant issues in the political economy of communication and society. The paper concentrates specifically on military, environmental, economic, privacy, and labor problems. It concludes by considering the significance of viewing the Next Internet as a public utility like electricity and water.