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That there is a "digital divide" -- which falls between those who have and can afford the latest in technological tools and those who have neither in our society -- is indisputable. "Virtual Inequality "redefines the issue as it explores the cascades of that divide, which involve access, skill, political participation, as well as the obvious economics. Computer and Internet access are insufficient without the skill to use the technology, and economic opportunity and political participation provide primary justification for realizing that this inequality is a public problem and not simply a matter of private misfortune. Defying those who say the divide is growing smaller, this volume, based on a unique national survey that includes data from over 1800 respondents in low-income communities, shows otherwise. In addition to demonstrating why disparities persist in such areas as technological abilities, the survey also shows that the digitally disadvantaged often share many of the same beliefs as their more privileged counterparts. African-Americans, for instance, are even more positive in their attitudes toward technology than whites are in many respects, contrary to conventional wisdom. The rigorous research on which the conclusions are based is presented accessibly and in an easy-to-follow manner. Not content with analysis alone, nor the untangling of the complexities of policymaking, "Virtual Inequality" views the digital divide compassionately in its human dimensions and recommends a set of practical and common-sense policy strategies. Inequality, even in a virtual form this book reminds us, is unacceptable and a situation that society is compelled to address.
If Barack Obama had not won in Iowa, most commentators believe
that he would not have been able to go on to capture the Democratic
nomination for president. "Why Iowa? "offers the definitive account
of those early weeks of the campaign season: from how the Iowa
caucuses work and what motivates the candidates' campaigns, to
participation and turnout, as well as the lingering effects that
the campaigning had on Iowa voters. Demonstrating how "what happens
in Iowa" truly reverberates throughout the country, five-time Iowa
precinct caucus chair David P. Redlawsk and his coauthors take us
on an inside tour of one of the most media-saturated and
speculated-about campaign events in American politics.
In an age when the United Nations has declared access to the
Internet a human right, and universal access to high-speed
broadband is a national goal, urban areas have been largely ignored
by federal policy. The cost of that neglect may well be the failure
to realize the social benefits of broadband and a broadly-connected
digital society.
Democracy in the States offers a 21st century agenda for election reform in America based on lessons learned in the fifty states. Combining accessibility and rigor, leading scholars of U.S. politics and elections examine the impact of reforms intended to increase the integrity, fairness, and responsiveness of the electoral system. While some of these reforms focus on election administration, which has been the subject of much controversy since the 2000 presidential election, others seek more broadly to increase political participation and improve representation. For example, Paul Gronke (Reed College) and his colleagues study the relationship between early voting and turnout. Barry Burden (University of Wisconsin-Madison) examines the hurdles that third-party candidates must clear to get on the ballot in different states. Michael McDonald (George Mason University) analyzes the leading strategies for redistricting reform. And Todd Donovan (Western Washington University) focuses on how the spread of "safe" legislative seats affects both representation and participation. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously observed that "a single courageous state may, if its citizens choose, serve as a laboratory; and try novel social and economic experiments without risk to the rest of the country." Nowhere is this function more essential than in the sphere of election reform, as this important book shows.
Just as education has promoted democracy and economic growth, the Internet has the potential to benefit society as a whole. Digital citizenship, or the ability to participate in society online, promotes social inclusion. But statistics show that significant segments of the population are still excluded from digital citizenship. The authors of this book define digital citizens as those who are online daily. By focusing on frequent use, they reconceptualize debates about the digital divide to include both the means and the skills to participate online. They offer new evidence (drawn from recent national opinion surveys and Current Population Surveys) that technology use matters for wages and income, and for civic engagement and voting. Digital Citizenship examines three aspects of participation in society online: economic opportunity, democratic participation, and inclusion in prevailing forms of communication. The authors find that Internet use at work increases wages, with less-educated and minority workers receiving the greatest benefit, and that Internet use is significantly related to political participation, especially among the young. The authors examine in detail the gaps in technological access among minorities and the poor and predict that this digital inequality is not likely to disappear in the near future. Public policy, they argue, must address educational and technological disparities if we are to achieve full participation and citizenship in the twenty-first century. Karen Mossberger is Associate Professor in the Graduate Program in Public Administration, College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs, University of Illinois at Chicago. Caroline J. Tolbert is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Iowa. She and Karen Mossberger are coauthors (with Mary Stansbury) of Virtual Inequality: Beyond the Digital Divide. Ramona S. McNeal is Visiting Assistant Professor in the Political Studies Department at the University of Illinois at Springfield.
If Barack Obama had not won in Iowa, most commentators believe
that he would not have been able to go on to capture the Democratic
nomination for president. "Why Iowa? "offers the definitive account
of those early weeks of the campaign season: from how the Iowa
caucuses work and what motivates the candidates' campaigns, to
participation and turnout, as well as the lingering effects that
the campaigning had on Iowa voters. Demonstrating how "what happens
in Iowa" truly reverberates throughout the country, five-time Iowa
precinct caucus chair David P. Redlawsk and his coauthors take us
on an inside tour of one of the most media-saturated and
speculated-about campaign events in American politics.
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