Peter Humphreys

Television and press systems in Western Europe are currently undergoing revolutionary changes, raising profound questions for public policy. This comparative, textbook analysis explores how mass media systems across Europe have been shaped by technology, economics and politics. Peter Humphreys argues that whilst both states and markets can constrain progress towards the goals of media freedom and pluralism, public policy can also promote a diverse media system across Europe. He explores the impact of public regulation and private commercial activity, and argues that threats to pluralism can arise from either political interference or from the concentration of media ownership and markets. Another key concern of the book is to explore the political impact of the new media technologies - notably transfrontier satellite broadcasting - in Western Europe. The author explores the implications of the commercialization of national broadcasting systems, and the media policies of the European Union in the age of transfrontier media operations.

Nick Powell, arriving in Hong Kong with his soon-to-be-ex-wife Lennox, finds himself drawn into the political machinations affecting the city as the Occupy movement of 2014 takes root. A fatal accident exposes the factions vying for control of the SAR and gives Nick the second chance desired by many Hong Kong expats. Will he make the most of the opportunity, or find himself on the wrong side of history? Shifting between a variety of unique voices, HONG KONG ROCKS (a Hong Kong Proverse Prize finalist) is part thriller, part creative exploration of the challenges facing a special administrative region punching above its weight." Though rooted in experience and influenced by real-life events, this novel represents an alternative version of Hong Kong's recent history and takes regular liberties within this parallel world for the benefit of satire. The book was completed after the Occupy protests of 2014 but before the escalation of protests in the territory beginning June 2019, the action taking place in a notional 2018."-Peter Humphreys, Author." Hong Kong Rocks is a story set in an alternative past; in part a whodunit, with the who and the it constantly in doubt. At the centre is a group of dissolute, middle-aged, expatriates, who are held more or less upright, or let fall by surer, stronger, women. Dissolution, however, has its consequences, in conflict with either the newly introduced Deportation Act, or two cross-border goons, or both. And, as the tale reaches its finale, we cannot but agree with the narrator that Hong Kong is 'hotting up'."-Philip Chatting, author of The Snow Bridge and Other Stories, Winner of the Proverse Prize 2014." Funny and twisted, in Humphreys' spirited novel Nick and a garrulous band of expats are caught in the shifting societal landscape of Hong Kong. Nights drinking at the Brolly, missing friends, the Occupy movement, fear of deportation and the threat of discovery by Chinese agents, all loom large. As his freedom hangs on the edge of a precipice, Nick seizes on the absurdities, secrets and joys of a life lived with regret."-Maria Roberts, author of Single Mother on the Verge, Penguin." Hong Kong Rocks encapsulates the emptiness which grips Hong Kong with refreshing wit and philosophical resignation. Humphreys has successfully created a forlorn atmosphere. A decaying urban lifestyle slowly eats the protagonists away, while entwining their lives."-James Tam, author of Man's Last Song, Proverse Prize finalist 2011.

With digital technologies blurring media boundaries, this book provides a detailed analysis of how the Internet is producing a convergence of the press, audio-visual and online media. Based on extensive empirical analysis, the authors analyse over 25 years of changes to media forms and expose the reality behind the notion that media convergence is inevitable and inexorable. Peter Humphreys and Seamus Simpson break new ground through exploring a diverse range of topics at the heart of the media convergence governance debate, such as next generation networks, spectrum, copyright and media subsidies. They highlight how reluctance to accommodate non-market based policy solutions creates conflicts and problems resulting in only shallow media convergence thus far. Highly accessible, this book is a valuable read for undergraduate and masters students researching digital media and communications. With guidance on a series of policy directions and innovations that should be developed to fulfil the promise of media convergence, it is also a vital tool for media and communication practitioners and policy makers.

This innovative textbook is modelled on problem-based learning. It bridges the gap between academic neuroanatomy and clinical neurology and effectively takes the reader from the classroom to the clinic, so that learning can be applied in practice. This second edition has been updated and expanded to include many more clinical cases within both the book and the accompanying Wweb site. This book and the associated Web site will be of practical value to all the professionals who deal with people who have neurological conditions, as well as being invaluable to medical students and residents. This includes physiatrists (rehabilitation medicine specialists), physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists, and nurses who specialize in the care of neurological patients. We think that this text will also be of value for family physicians and specialists in internal medicine and pediatrics, all of whom must differentiate between organic pathology of the nervous system and other conditions.

This innovative textbook is modelled on problem-based learning. It bridges the gap between academic neuroanatomy and clinical neurology and effectively takes the reader from the classroom to the clinic, so that learning can be applied in practice. This second edition has been updated and expanded to include many more clinical cases within both the book and the accompanying Wweb site. This book and the associated Web site will be of practical value to all the professionals who deal with people who have neurological conditions, as well as being invaluable to medical students and residents. This includes physiatrists (rehabilitation medicine specialists), physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists, and nurses who specialize in the care of neurological patients. We think that this text will also be of value for family physicians and specialists in internal medicine and pediatrics, all of whom must differentiate between organic pathology of the nervous system and other conditions.

In the face of globalization and new media technologies, can policy makers and regulators withstand deregulatory pressures on the ‘cultural policy toolkit’ for television? This comparative study provides an interdisciplinary investigation of trends in audiovisual regulation, with the focus on television and new media. It considers pressures for deregulation and for policy in this field to prioritise market development and economic goals rather than traditional cultural and democratic objectives, notably public service content, the promotion of national and local culture, media pluralism and diversity. The book explores regulatory policy in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Europe. The book focuses on a range of instruments designed for promoting pluralism and cultural diversity, particularly the role of public service broadcasting and the range of measures available for promoting cultural policy goals, such as subsidies, scheduling and investment quotas, as well as (particularly national) media ownership rules. The book draws on findings of two research projects funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council and is written in an accessible style by leading scholars of media law and policy, who bring to bear insights from their respective disciplines of law and political science.

In the face of globalization and new media technologies, can policy makers and regulators withstand deregulatory pressures on the ‘cultural policy toolkit’ for television? This comparative study provides an interdisciplinary investigation of trends in audiovisual regulation, with the focus on television and new media. It considers pressures for deregulation and for policy in this field to prioritise market development and economic goals rather than traditional cultural and democratic objectives, notably public service content, the promotion of national and local culture, media pluralism and diversity. The book explores regulatory policy in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Europe. The book focuses on a range of instruments designed for promoting pluralism and cultural diversity, particularly the role of public service broadcasting and the range of measures available for promoting cultural policy goals, such as subsidies, scheduling and investment quotas, as well as (particularly national) media ownership rules. The book draws on findings of two research projects funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council and is written in an accessible style by leading scholars of media law and policy, who bring to bear insights from their respective disciplines of law and political science.

This new book presents a clear conceptual framework for understanding the transfer of policy ideas between EU states, together with an empirical study of regulatory change within European utilities. Policy transfer is a new instrument for understanding EU policy-making. This volume shows how the nature of institutions, interdependence between trans-national and national jurisdictions and social systems, relate policy actors across geographical boundaries, identifying four basic types of EU policy transfer and learning:‘uploading’– how member states compete to shape the EU agenda in line with their own institutional arrangements and policy preferences ‘downloading’– how states adapt to changing EU incentives and constraints ‘socialization’ – how EU policy norms are internalized in the belief systems of domestic actors ‘information exchange’ between national actors in the course of EU interactions leading to a horizontal diffusion of policy ideas. The authors use an institutionalist perspective to show how these forms of policy transfer operate across the diverse systems of governance found across the EU. Policy Transfer in European Union Governance will be of great interest to students and scholars of European Union politics and policy, comparative public policy and political economy.

This new book presents a clear conceptual framework for understanding the transfer of policy ideas between EU states, together with an empirical study of regulatory change within European utilities. Policy transfer is a new instrument for understanding EU policy-making. This volume shows how the nature of institutions, interdependence between trans-national and national jurisdictions and social systems, relate policy actors across geographical boundaries, identifying four basic types of EU policy transfer and learning:‘uploading’– how member states compete to shape the EU agenda in line with their own institutional arrangements and policy preferences ‘downloading’– how states adapt to changing EU incentives and constraints ‘socialization’ – how EU policy norms are internalized in the belief systems of domestic actors ‘information exchange’ between national actors in the course of EU interactions leading to a horizontal diffusion of policy ideas. The authors use an institutionalist perspective to show how these forms of policy transfer operate across the diverse systems of governance found across the EU. Policy Transfer in European Union Governance will be of great interest to students and scholars of European Union politics and policy, comparative public policy and political economy.

This book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date account of the complex interrelationship between technological change, globalisation, 'Europeanisation', national institutional structures, and the transfer of ideas in the reform of European telecommunications regulation. Globalisation, Convergence and European Telecommunications Regulation analyses the achievements and limitations of over twenty years of EU efforts to liberalise markets and to harmonise regulation. A key feature is the author's treatment of the EU's regulatory policy response to technological convergence in the information and communications sector, through its new Electronic Communications Regulatory Framework. The book explores in detail the dynamics of the complex relationship between technological and globalisation pressures, economic interests and European and national policy responses. A key finding is persistent Member State diversity in regulatory implementation alongside remarkable policy convergence on a new institutional model for the telecommunications sector. An overarching trend is the emergence of distinct features of a 'regulatory state', at national and EU level, in the telecommunications sector. Contributing to the ongoing debate on the role of the EC and the extent to which EU telecommunications policy can be described as 'supranational', this book will strongly appeal to academics, researchers, students and practitioners involved in the fields of technology, public policy and European studies.