Transcript February 12 - Alexandra Samuel

Agenda for Today
•
Review and discuss article by Bonchek
• how the Net affects interest groups
• how to identify the causal argument in
a reading
•
return quotation analyses
•
course changes
•
midterm evaluation
The Internet and Politics
Transaction costs
•
“The costs other than the money price
that are incurred in trading goods or
services.”
•
including:
• Search and information costs
• Bargaining and decision costs
• Policing and enforcement costs
The Internet and Politics
Bonchek: Introduction

What effect do computer networks have
on grassroots political activity?

Does computer-mediated communication
(CMC) facilitate collective action?

Why have so many organizations and
individuals taken to computer networks
as a medium for political communication?

“The argument presented is that CMC
facilitates collective action by reducing
transaction costs related to group
organization.”
The Internet and Politics
2. Transaction Costs
Transaction Costs and Collective Action
•
2.1 Economics
•
2.2 Politics
•
2.3 Collective Action
• political action vs “common pool
resource problems”
•
2.4 Organizational Costs
The Internet and Politics
Organizational Costs
Transaction Costs and Collective Action
2.4 Organizational Costs
• Communications costs
• Coordination costs
• Collaborating
• Reaching a decision
• Planning
• Information Costs
• Search
• Retrieval
• Interpretation
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Collective Action
3. Do Transaction Costs Reduce
Collective Action?

3.1 Group Formation

3.2 Group Efficiency

3.3 Member Recruitment

3.4 Member Retention
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Impact of CMC
Does CMC Reduce Transaction Costs?

4.1 Properties

4.2 Speed and Cost

4.3 Asynchronous Communication

4.4 Many-to-Many Communication

4.5 Intelligent Communication

4.6 Impact on Transaction Costs
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Case Studies

5.1 Chinese Students: IFSCSS

5.2 Community Networking: PEN

5.3 Smoking Policy: SCARCNet

5.4 Online Government Access: Jim Warren

5.5 Institute for Global Communications

5.6 White Supremacist and Neo-Nazi
Movements

5.7 Information Infrastructure: TPR and
CPSR
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Analysis of Case Studies

some groups will benefit more from CMC than
others

groups that benefit most:
 broad geographic distribution of members
 large volume of intraorganizational
communication
 high value placed on info as selective benefit
 poor access to mainstream media
The Internet and Politics
Bonchek: Conclusion

to take



advantage of CMC must:
have access to computers
have computer skills
be on a computer network

Groups with natural affinity for computers are
in the best position

Computer access as a political resource
The Internet and Politics
Bonchek: Argument

Hypothesis

Independent variable

Dependent variable

Observable implications

Causal relationship

Research method

Unit of Analysis

Cases
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Bonchek: Issues

Dependent variable

Case selection

Other side of the equation: benefits

Following the argument to its conclusion
The Internet and Politics
Quotation Analysis

NOT GRADED -- all that matters was that you
submitted the assignment

For your benefit:

√+: successfully explained quotation AND
overall argument

√ : successfully explained quotation only

√ : misinterpreted the quotation itself
The Internet and Politics
Course changes

Discussion board participation no longer
required.

Participation will still be considered.

For Thursday…no Poblocki.
The Internet and Politics
Discussion
The Internet and Politics