This book is a primer on media governance at a global level and the key influencing forces and organizations, such as ITU, WTO, UNESCO, WIPO, and ICANN. Governance oversees regulation, and questions addressed here include: Why do we regulate the various media at all? What currently are the major forms of global regulation, and how do they work? Who participates in, and who benefits from, media regulatory and governance structures? And what are the trends? Anyone interested in the media and its progressively rising influence over so many dimensions of society will sooner or later find themselves confronted with these questions. This book does not pretend to answer all the questions, but it raises key ones and points in directions where more complete answers can be found. Published in cooperation with UNRISD.

"This book is listed as a primer and aimed at undergraduates in media and communication studies. Students in these disciplines, as well as international relations, cultural studies, politics, and international law, will find the sections devoted to the rise and transformation of key insitutions of media governance to be particularly useful. In addition, the book provides useful summaries of many key issues stemming from struggles to participate in and control the emerging regimes of global media governance." - European Journal Of Communication

"As the subtitle suggests, the book gives the big picture and delivers a comprehensive introduction to actual issues. The clarity of the style of writing serves this objective well." - The International Journal On Media Management