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Institute for Information Policy

The Institute for Information Policy is a joint venture of the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications and the College of Information Sciences and Technology.

The IIP conducts groundbreaking research and innovative programs on the social implications of information technology, with an emphasis on the potential of information technologies for improving democratic discourse, social responsibility and quality of life. Its annual workshops unite experts from across the globe to share research on issues of access and security.

Since its formation, the IIP has received approximately $2.3 million in external support, not including in-kind contributions, from sponsors including AT&T, the Ford Foundation, Google, The Media Democracy Fund, and the National Science Foundation.

News and Announcements

  • IIP organized a Blue Sky Workshop titled Open Access, Open Communications: Opportunities and Challenges for Open Access Journals in Communications as part of the International Communication Association’s Seventieth Annual Convention, at Gold Coast, Australia, May 20-26, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the session was conducted virtually. Participants included Jeffrey Blevins (Democratic Communique); Larry Gross (International Journal of Communications); Krishna Jayakar (Journal of Information Policy); Sumit Narula (Journal of Content, Community and Communication); Chris Russill (Canadian Journal of Communication); Kevin Sanson (Media Industries); Amit Schejter (Journal of Information Policy); Richard Taylor (Journal of Information Policy) and Peter Thompson (The Political Economy of Communication). Here is the LINK to the video recording of the session.
  • The IIP's next workshop titled "Taming and Nurturing the Wild Child: Government and Corporate Policies for Social Media" will be conducted as a preconference workshop on May 24, 2019 at the ICA Annual Convention, in Washington, D.C. Click here for the full program.
  • Co-Director Carleen Maitland publishes a new book "Digital Lifeline? ICTs for Refugees and Displaced Persons" (2018, MIT Press).
  • The IIP conducted a pre-conference workshop on "Applying the Capabilities Approach to Media and Communication" at the International Communication Association Annual Convention, in Prague, Czech Republic, on May 24, 2018. Here is the workshop schedule.
  • Penn State News covers IIP: "Institute for Information Policy targeting 'big data' at May workshop."
  • The National Science Foundation (NSF) identified the IIP to initiate dialog on A National Research Agenda for Broadband. In response, the IIP organized a workshop with leading experts in academia and government June 16-17 at the NSF in Arlington, Virginia, in partnership with the NSF and the NTIA. Details of the program at Broadband 2021. The final Report of the workshop is now available.