Join us on April 18 at 12:30 in ASC 236 for Kevin Werbach’s discussion, “The Blockchain as a New Architecture of Trust.”
Trust in established institutions is collapsing. Is the much-hyped blockchain a solution, a symptom that will make the problem worse, a fantasy, or something else entirely? Wharton professor Kevin Werbach, author of The Blockchain and the New Architecture of Trust, offers a balanced analysis of blockchain’s potential, as well as its limitations and what it will take to overcome them…. Read More » “Kevin Werbach — April 18 — The Blockchain as a New Architecture of Trust”

Join us on April 4 at 12:30 in ASC 236 for Gwen Shaffer’s discussion, “Digital dichotomy: Municipal policy aimed at attracting tech companies while bridging the digital divide.”
The city of Long Beach is striving to become a high-tech hub, and laying the groundwork to transform itself into “Silicon Beach.” The second largest city in L.A. County—with a population of about 500,000—Long Beach offers tax credits to technology companies, and launched an online portal to help entrepreneurs navigate licensing and zoning requirements…. Read More » “Gwen Shaffer – April 4 – Digital dichotomy: Municipal policy aimed at attracting tech companies while bridging the digital divide”

Join us on March 7 at 12:30 in ASC 236 for Ming Curran’s discussion, “Ethnic Supply and Cosmopolitan Demand: italki and the Online Gig Economy for Language.” 
Curran’s talk discusses research Ming has previously conducted on italki, focusing on the intersection of nation, race, and language in teachers’ profiles and marketing strategies. It also introduces ongoing research on italki, conducted in collaboration with Annenberg’s own Yiqi Li and Hernan Galperin, along with Shanghai Jiaotong’s Sunghan Ryu…. Read More » “Ming Curran — “Ethnic Supply and Cosmopolitan Demand: italki and the Online Gig Economy for Language” — March 7″

Join us on February 21 at 12:30 in ANN 310 (please note different building and room than usual) for Dustin Phillips’s discussion, “IGF-USA on the road: The role of emerging scholars in shaping Internet governance.”

The Internet impacts nearly every aspect of society in both positive and negative ways. As we look ahead at how we are shaping the future of the Internet and society, the complexities of the Internet need to be understood by academics,… Read More » “Dustin Phillips — “IGF-USA on the road: The role of emerging scholars in shaping Internet governance” — February 21″

Join us on February 7 at 12:30 in ASC 236 for Jieun Park’s’s discussion, “Flying Internet for the Unwired – How to Implement Sky-Streaming Internet in the Developing World.”
Jieun Park, a visiting scholar at USC ARNIC this semester, received Ph.D. in Journalism & Mass Communication from Korea University. She has research experience in broad fields including ICT innovation, Korean telecommunications industry, communication technology standards, and Korean media policy. Her current research interests lie on the application and its impact of ICT innovations in different societies,… Read More » “Jieun Park — “Flying Internet for the Unwired – How to Implement Sky-Streaming Internet in the Developing World” — 2/7/19″

Join us on January 24 at 12:30 in ASC 236 for Gabriel Laender’s discussion, “Blockchain for Policy: a Pragmatic Assessment.”
Gabriel Laender is a Brazilian attorney, ICT researcher and legal tech entrepreneur. He was policy advisor to the Strategic Affairs Secretariat of the President´s Office (SAE), and later became telecommunication advisor to the Chief of Staff of the Executive Office of the President (Casa Civil), where he coordinated the regulatory aspects of the Brazilian National Broadband Plan…. Read More » “January 24, Gabriel Laender — “Blockchain for Policy: A Pragmatic Assessment””

Join us on November 8 to hear Dr. Tianshu Sun (University of Southern California Marshall School of Business). Tianshu Sun’s research conducted in collaboration with leading private and public sector platforms addresses how firms can use business analytics and large-scale field experiments in conjunction with big data to improve business decisions. His current research focuses on understanding 1) how digital platforms can use IT-enabled and analytics-driven interventions to influence information sharing among individuals, and 2) how organizations can leverage mobile devices and Internet of Things to influence individuals’… Read More » “November 8, Tianshu Sun (USC Marshall): Displaying Things in Common to Encourage Friendship Formation”

The promise of mobile broadband for minority communities
Please join us on Thursday, October 18 at 12:30 pm in ASC 236. We will hear from James E. Prieger, Professor of Economics and Public Policy at Pepperdine University School of Public Policy.
This seminar will review research on the broadband digital divide for minorities in the U.S., and the particular promise that mobile broadband may hold. Compared to white populations, some minorities have fewer fixed broadband options but more mobile broadband providers available…. Read More » “James Prieger (Pepperdine University): The promise of mobile broadband for minority communities”

Please join us on Thursday, October 4th at 12:30 in ASC 230 for our next ARNIC meeting. 
In this meeting, we will plan for the academic year and share research projects and ideas from our members. Professors Hernán Galperin and François Bar will discuss updates on the Connecting Skid Row project, Annenberg PhD students Matt Bui and Rachel Moran will talk about their recent experience and award at the Telecommunications Policy Research Conference, and Annenberg PhD student Anna Loup will share some recent ideas on the political economy of infrastructure risk…. Read More » “Next ARNIC Meeting: October 4 (Internal Planning/Research Projects)”

ICTD is dead—long live ICTD.
After the experience of three years as founding director of an information and communication technology and development (ICTD) research institute within the United Nations, along with the many global challenges experienced within today’s cyberspace, Dr. Michael L. Best believes that the ICTD research community is undertaking a necessary reboot. A number of core tenants of digital systems are now being questioned: Is more online speech necessarily good? Is openness desirable?… Read More » “Dr. Michael L. Best to speak on ICTD research at ARNIC lunchtime seminar”