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10. Media Regulation Watch Video Connection Speed: High Speed Low Speed    Event Title : The Effects of Mass Media on Public Policy Date : 4/12/2007 Duration : 72 minutes Language  : English Country/Region : World Keyword :  Governance  Media and Development  Policies Presenter : Pierre-Yves  Andrau Jonathan  Levy Rakesh Nangia Joel  Waldfogel, | Related Material | Recommendations |Related B-SPAN Videos |  DESCRIPTION  Understanding media effects on public policy is an increasingly important issue for the World Bank. The media’s effect on governance, how this translates into public sector accountability, and how this in turn affects economic markets warrants attention to an area that until now has benefited from scant research. How does regulation of the media enhance or constrain government accountability, especially when governments are a repository of information relevant to public policy? This event, held in the Washington, DC, offices of the World Bank on April 12–13, 2007, aimed to explore media ownership, news reporting, access to information, the effects on economic markets, and what issues are at stake for political participation and the public interest. Chairing the session was Rakesh Nangia Acting Vice President, for the World Bank Institute. He introduced Jonathan Levy, Deputy Chief Economist, with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Levy spoke about the goals of U.S. television regulation, which he summarized into three categories: competition, diversity, and localism. He explained the three major categories of regulation available to the FCC: technical, content, and structural. Levy also spoke about inconsistencies in the Commission’s Fairness Doctrine which led to its repeal. In conclusion, he delineated the organizational structure of the FCC. Pierre-Yves Andrau, Chair of DG Info. Society & Media with the European Commission, offered a European policy perspective. He explained how the EU’s main media regulations and framework aims to protect the sovereignty of EU member countries. He also explored how the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights aims to preserve media pluralism in the region. Throughout his presentation, Andrau noted differences between the US and the EU media environments. Joel Waldfogel, Professor of Public Policy & Management at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, noted how the United States and France had different rationales for regulation. He also discussed how inefficient under-provision and excess entry are economically problematic in media markets. The question-and-answer session addressed what the United States can learn from the EU’s approach and vice versa, and how technology has impacted the regulatory environment.  RELATED MATERIALS   Related World Bank and Other Links: The World Bank: Media Mentions The World Bank: The Right to Tell - The Role of Mass Media in Economic Development The World Bank: Development Governance and the Media - The Role of Media in Building African Society Related B-SPAN Events: What is the Role of Media in Social Accountability? African Media Development Initiative RELATED B-SPAN EVENTS Governance (120) Media and Development (22) Policies (44)