The economic dimensions of the right to communicate

Use of the approaches of traditional economics for an analysis of the allocation of resources to communication must be done in two stages. In the first stage we would be concerned with the use of existing resources in communication for immediate, identified purposes. It is in the second stage of analysis, when the effects of communication must be taken into account, that great difficulties are occasioned. There is a serious danger that well-intentioned policy efforts will lead to undesirable consequences unless they are reinforced by carefully coordinated action on a wide front. Thus, the right to communicate can be a reality and be beneficial only if the policies of the state are carefully coordinated toward that end. Research is needed on the economics of information and information policy coordination at the national and international levels.

In Evolving Perspectives on the Right to Communicate, edited by Jim Richstad and L.S. Harms. Honolulu: East-West Center (1977).