"In the great debate about ‘cultural imperialism’ in the 1970s and 1980s, the advertising industry was singled out as a key mechanism by which the economies and societies of the ‘Third World’ countries were seen to be dominated by the rich countries of North America and Europe. Yet, relative
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to critical research on the other international communication industries also held to exert such dominance, notably television and news, the advertising industry as such has since been rather neglected. The research presented in this article is based on material gathered by a collaborative team of researchers reporting on the recent state of play within the constellation of interests which make up the advertising industry in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Chile. The article thus provides a detailed empirical account of the modes in which the advertising industry now binds these leading nations of Latin America into both economic and cultural globalization." (Abstract)
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"This book is meant to present the basics of freedom of information or right to information, defined as the universal right to access information held by public bodies. It presents in an easy-to-understand and non-technical fashion the basic principles of freedom of information, such as maximum disc
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losure, obligation to publish, promotion of open government, limited scope of exceptions and the process to facilitate access. In this new edition, the introduction, the comparative chapter, and the section on international standards and trends, have been totally revised. The country chapters provide an in-depth-analysis to the right of access in Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, India, Jamaica, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Peru, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand, Uganda, United Kigdom and the USA. According to the author "since the last edition five years ago, we can now say that every region of the world has adopted right to information laws." (CAMECO Update 2-2008)
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"This book offers a view of the cultural, family, and interpersonal consequences of mobile communication across the globe. Scholars analyze the effect of mobile communication on all parts of life, from the relationship between literacy and the textual features of mobile phones to the use of ringtone
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s as a form of social exchange, from the “aspirational consumption” of middle-class families in India to the belief in parts of Africa and Asia that mobile phones can communicate with the dead. The contributors explore the ways mobile communication profoundly affects the tempo, structure, and process of daily life around the world. The book discusses the impact of mobile communication on social networks, other communication strategies, traditional forms of social organization, and political activities. It considers how quickly miraculous technologies come to seem ordinary and even necessary; and how ordinary technology comes to seem mysterious and even miraculous. The chapters cut across social issues and geographical regions; they highlight use by the elite and the masses, utilitarian and expressive functions, and political and operational consequences. Taken together, the chapters demonstrate how mobile communication has affected the quality of life in both exotic and humdrum settings, and how it increasingly occupies center stage in people’s lives around the world." (Publisher description)
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"Training programs of NGOs can help low-income youth effectively adopt ICTs. There is no doubt that acquiring ICT skills in demand in the current market can help these young people find jobs. They face obstacles such as a poor education, lack of ICT skills and the necessary social capital to identif
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y the most attractive ICT positions for their professional development. They also lack support networks for finding jobs or starting businesses. Training in ICT offers socially and economically excluded groups the chance to enter the knowledge-based economy. We wanted to explore whether individuals enrolled in the selected NGO training programs had taken advantage of these opportunities. To this end, we conducted a comparative study among countries to determine whether youth (primarily) ICT training courses had an effect on beneficiaries’ labor participation, in terms of job searches, employment obtained, establishment of a business or improvements to an existing business. For this study, training beneficiaries and NGO staff members were interviewed and surveyed to learn about their perceptions regarding the usefulness of ICT training for employability. We also analyzed how the organizational tools of the NGOs have supported beneficiaries in finding jobs, setting up businesses, or increasing employment opportunities." (Introduction, page 9)
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"La idea tras esta publicación es presentar un panorama de la situación vigente en libertad de expresión y de prensa, y de libre acceso a la información en América Latina. Con este fin, invitamos a periodistas, comunicadores, académicos e intelectuales líderes de toda la región a aportar art
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ículos, algunos con enfoque regional y otros con perspectiva nacional. Nuestro objetivo es reforzar la comprensión y apoyo de estas libertades, como punto de referencia de dónde estamos y también a dónde necesitamos llegar. Este libro está publicándose además como aporte latinoamericano a la conmemoración del Día Mundial de Libertad de Prensa para 2008." (Introducción, página 28)
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"This book compares rebel media use in three Mesoamerican rebellions: the Nicaraguan Revolution, the Salvadoran civil war and the Zapatista uprising in Chiapas, Mexico. Directly comparing media use in all three rebellions provides a richer understanding of the role of media in social change, particu
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larly violent change." (Publisher description)
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"Este texto presenta relatos que demuestran que la (in)seguridad ciudadana en América Latina “no es un partido de fútbol” pero sí “una urgencia cultural” y que por eso hay “tantos cuentos que contar” y muchas historias detrás de la ceremonia mediática y política de los miedos. Por
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eso, Más allá de víctimas y culpables trae relatos de la realidad latinoamericana, 14 experiencias y 1 texto de reflexión. Se trabajó con periodistas de 13 países de América Latina para relatar experiencias de seguridad ciudadana en las cuáles la comunicación hecha medios, prácticas, símbolos y narración es la clave de sentido político. De otros sujetos, de otras prácticas, de estas muchas vidas que “no pasan por” los medios o que “la pasan mal” en los medios es que está lleno este texto. La única regla de la comunicación en seguridad ciudadana es tratar a todos los sujetos y colectivos más allá de víctimas y culpables." (www.c3fes.net, November 12, 2009)
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