POLICY FOR A NETWORKED SOCIETY
Policy Participation reports
Public Engagement through Information Technologies reports
IT for Development reports
INTERACTIVE MEDIA FOR CHILDREN reports
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March, 2001
The Web White and Blue Network 2000: Evaluation
Arthur Lupia, professor of political science, University of Michigan
Web White and Blue 2000, a Markle initiative organized around the 2000 national elections brought together leading media outlets to help voters, journalists and others use the Internet to learn more about candidates, campaigns and Presidential debates. This project, which reached more than 85% of the American Internet audience, brought together 17 of the largest Internet sites, news organizations, and portals, as well as thousands of non-profit sites. After the elections, Markle commissioned a study to examine site usage and its effects on the electorate. The results support the belief that, while it is too early to tell exactly what impact the Internet will have on democracy, it is already playing critical role in enhancing individuals' relationships to the political process.
Project: Web White and Blue 2000
Download Foreword to Evaluation (48K)
Download Executive Summary (57K)
Download Evaluation Summary (60K)
Download Evaluation (456K)
March, 2000
Online Content for Low-income and Underserved Americans: The Digital Divide's New Frontier
Wendy Lazarus and Francisco Mora
One aspect of the digital divide has been consistently under-examined is that of content. While the lack of infrastructure has received significant attention, the lack of locally relevant content, along with the shortage of skills to use that content, have not been recognized as an important barrier to access. This report measures both the content barrier (which is particularly severe among low-income Americans), and suggests solutions such as including increasing local information, enhancing general literacy, and addressing language barriers.
Project: The Children's Partnership
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July 1999
The Growing Digital Divide: Implications for an Open Research Agenda
Professors Donna L. Hoffman & Thomas P. Novak of Vanderbilt University
While the Internet provides enormous social and economic potential, there is growing concern about an emerging digital divide. Issues surrounding such a divide are only beginning to be researched in any systematic way. This paper both examines the divide, and suggests that a comprehensive research agenda is necessary to further such examination.
Project: Domestic Digital Divide Initiative
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February, 1999
Government Programs Involving Citizen Access to Internet Services
David S. Birdsell and Douglas Muzzio, Baruch College School of Public Affairs
The government's efforts to migrate services online raise questions about online access. In particular, it raises the prospect of a digitally driven "blue ribbon" clientele breezing through taxes, contract opportunities and environmental hazard databases while a paper bound proletariat waits in line. How seriously should we take such concerns, and what can be done about them? This report reviews existing government services, identifies problems with access, and suggests remedies, such as increased standardization and access through public kiosks.
Project: Domestic Digital Divide Initiative
Download Report (140K)
February, 1999
Universal Service: U.S. Baselines
David S. Birdsell and Douglas Muzzio, Baruch College School of Public Affairs
How do we define Internet "access?" Does "access" come with the opportunity to use a Web browser for thirty minutes at a time in a public library? Does "access" improve with connection speed? Does a person who knows how to do more with a computer have more meaningful "access" than a person who has exactly the same technologies but knows nothing about using them? This report examines the meaning of access and considers statistics on regional disparities within the United States.
Project: Domestic Digital Divide Initiative
Download Report (208K)
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