School of Information Studies (iSchool) Professor Milton Mueller’s paper “ICANN Inc.: Accountability and Participation in the Governance of Critical Internet Resources” has received the Best Paper award from the Korean Journal of Policy Studies (KJPS).
ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) is the international organization that governs the Internet’s domain name and IP addressing systems. As a private corporation vested with global governance authority, Mueller calls it a “fascinating innovation.”
His paper explains why ICANN has an accountability deficit. He shows how it has avoided facing up to this problem by encouraging the public to “get involved” in its processes. Public participation in its processes, his paper contends, is no substitute for real accountability, which can only come from competition, globally applicable law, and a membership with real voting power over the board of directors.
“I have been surprised at how widely read and cited this paper has become,” said Mueller. “And, what an impact it has had on global discussion of ICANN. The best paper award from KJPS is a very gratifying form of recognition.”
The KJPS is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes original articles on a broad range of issues in public administration and public policy. It is published Graduate School of Public Administration at Seoul National University. KJPS is an accredited journal by the National Research Foundation of Korea.
