Professor Seamus Simpson

Professor of Media Policy

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Seamus Simpson is Professor of Media Policy in the School of Arts and Media. His research interests lie in European and global media policy and regulatory governance. His work has been published widely in these areas in leading scholarly journals such as West European Politics, the Journal of European Public Policy, Governance and the Journal of Common Market Studies. He is author of two books: Globalisation, Convergence and European Telecommunications Regulation (2005, Edward Elgar) (with Peter Humphreys, University of  Manchester) and The New Electronic Marketplace: European Governance Strategies in a Globalising Economy (2007, Edward Elgar) (with George Christou, University of Warwick) and is currently co-authoring volumes on The EU in Global Electronic Communications (Routledge) and The Governance of Media Convergence (Edward Elgar). His research has been funded by the ESRC and the European Commission.

Journalism and Media Convergence (Level 6)

European and Global Media Policy (Level 7)

All aspects of European and global media policy and regulatory governance

BSc Economics

MA International Business and International Financial Management

PhD (European Telecommunications Policy)

Member of Economic and Social Research Council Peer Review College

Member of the International Communication Association

Vice Chair of the International Communication Association Communications Law and Policy Division

Member of the European Consortium for Political Research Standing Group on Regulatory Governance

Member of the European Communication Research and Education Association, Communications Law and Policy Section

Member of the UK Political Studies Association

Member of the International Telecommunications Society

Books

George Christou and Seamus Simpson  (2007) The New Electronic Economy – European Governance Strategies in a Globalising Economy. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

Humphreys, Peter and Seamus Simpson (2005) Globalisation, Convergence and European Telecommunications Regulation, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. 

Articles in Peer-Reviewed International Journals:

2012       Christou, George and Simpson, Seamus ‘Shaping the global communications milieu: the EU in global Internet and telecommunications policy. Comparative European Politics, 29 October 2012, doi:10.1057/cep.2012.33 .

2012       Simpson, Seamus ‘Evolving Communications Policy Agendas and ‘North-South’ Relations – the Internet and Telecommunications’. Communications, 37(2), 195-214.

2012      Simpson, Seamus ‘The potential of soft governance in the EU Information Society: lessons from the EU Electronic Communications Regulatory Framework’.  Information, Communication and Society, DOI:10.1080/1369118X.2012.744072.

2011  Simpson, Seamus ‘New Governance in European Union Policy Making – Policy Innovation or Political Compromise in European Telecommunications?’, West European Politics, 34(5), 1114-33

2011  Christou, George and Seamus Simpson, ‘Multilateralism, the EU and the Evolving Global Governance of the Internet’, Journal of European Public Policy, 18(2), 241-57

2010      Simpson, Seamus ‘Effective Communications Regulation in an Era of Convergence? The Case of Premium Rate Telephony and Television in the UK’ Convergence, 16(2), 217-33

2010      Simpson, Seamus ‘Governing Information Infrastructures and Services: States, Markets and the Public Interest in Telecommunications’ Aslib Proceedings, 62(1), 46-56

2009      Simpson, Seamus ‘Supranationalism and its Limits in European Telecommunications Governance -  The European Electronic Communications Markets Authority Initiative’ Information, Communication and Society’, 12(8), 1224-41

2009      Christou, George and Seamus Simpson ‘New Governance, the Internet and Country Code Top Level Domains in Europe’, Governance, 22(4), 599-624

2008      Humphreys, Peter and Seamus Simpson ‘Globalization, the ‘Competition’ State and the Rise of the ‘Regulatory’ State in European Telecommunications’, Journal of Common Market Studies, 46(4), 849-74 

2007    George Christou and Seamus Simpson ‘Gaining a Stake in Global Internet Governance: the EU, ICANN and Strategic Norm Manipulation’, European Journal of Communication, 22 (2), 147-64

2006    Christou, George and Seamus Simpson   “The Internet and Public-Private Governance in the European Union.  Journal of Public Policy. Vol 26, 1, 43-61

2004      Simpson, Seamus “Universal Service Issues in Converging Communications Environments: the Case of the UK.” Telecommunications Policy, 28(2004), 233-48

2004      Simpson, Seamus “Explaining the Commercialisation of the Internet: a neo-Gramscian Contribution”. Information, Communication and Society, 7:1, 50-69

2002      Simpson, Seamus and Rorden Wilkinson “Regulatory Change and Telecommunications governance: A Neo-Gramscian Analysis”. Convergence, Summer, 8(2), 30-51

2002      Halpin, Edward F. and Seamus Simpson “Between Self-Regulation and Intervention in the Networked Economy: the European Union and Internet Policy”. Journal of Information Science, 28(4), 285-296

2000      Simpson, Seamus  “Intra-institutional Rivalry and Policy Entrepreneurship in the European Union: the Politics of Information and Communications Technology Convergence”, New Media and Society, Vol. 2(4): 445-466

1999      Simpson, Seamus “Regulating ICT Convergence”, Javnost/The Public, Vol 6, No3, 49-66

International Refereed Conference Papers

2011 Simpson Seamus ‘The Evolution of Next Generation Network Environments in Europe – the Significance of the EU as a Policy Actor’, Paper presented to the International Communication Association conference, Boston, USA, 26-30 May.

2011 Simpson, Seamus ‘The Potential of Soft Governance in the EU Information Society – Lessons from the European Union Electronic Communications Regulatory Framework’, Paper presented to the UK Political Studies Association Annual conference, London, 19-21 April.

2011 Simpson, Seamus ‘The Evolution of International Policy Agendas in the Regulation of Electronic Communications: the Internet and Telecommunications’. Paper presented to the 2011 International Political Science Association/European Consortium for Political Research conference, ‘Whatever Happened to North-South?’ Panel: ‘The Protection of Cultural Policy within International Regulation’, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 16-19 February.

2010 Christou, George and Seamus Simpson ‘The Performance of the EU in the International Institutional Landscape of the Internet’, Paper presented to a symposium on ‘Europe in Global Governance: Performance, Reform, Power’. Rapallo, Italy,  19 October-1 November

2010 Sihvonen, Mikko and Seamus Simpson ‘Catering for Minority Interests in Public Service Media Environments: Finland and the UK’. Paper presented to the Reinterpretations of the Public Enterprise (RIPE) conference ‘Public Service Media After the Recession’, University of Westminster, London, 8-11 September.

2010 Simpson, Seamus ‘New Governance as Political Compromise in European Telecommunications: the Amended European Union Electronic Communications Regulatory Framework’. Paper presented to the 2010 International Telecommunications Society Conference, Tokyo, 25-27 June.

2010 Christou, George and Seamus Simpson ‘The Influence of Global Internet Governance Institutions on EU Norms and Practices’, Paper presented to the workshop ‘The Influence of International Institutions on the EU’, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, May 6-7.

2010  Christou, George and Seamus Simpson ‘Shaping the Global Communications Milieu: The EU’s Influence on Internet and Telecommunications Governance"’ Paper presented to the GARNET (Global Governance, Regionalisation and Regulation: The Role of the EU ) conference, ‘The European Union in International Affairs’, Institute for European Studies,  Vrije Universiteit Brussel,  Brussels, 22-24 April.

2009       Simpson, Seamus ‘New Approaches to the Development of Telecommunications Infrastructures in Europe? The Evolution of European Union Policy for Next Generation Networks’. Paper presented to the 2009 ECREA Communication Law and Policy Section workshop ‘New Directions for Communication Policy Research’, Zurich, 6-7 November.

2009       Christou, George and Seamus Simpson ‘Multilateralism, the EU and the Evolving Global Governance of the Internet’ Paper presented at the European Consortium for Political Research General Conference, Potsdam, Germany, 10-12 September.

2008       Simpson, Seamus ‘Effective Communications Regulation in an Era of Convergence? The Case of Premium Rate Telephony and Television Phone-ins in the UK. Proceedings of the European Communication Research and Education Association Conference, Barcelona, 25-28 November. ISBN: 978-84-490-2570-6

2008       Simpson, Seamus ‘Pervasiveness and Efficacy in Regulatory Governance – Neo-Liberalism as Ideology and Practice in European Telecommunications Reorganisation’. Paper presented to the European Consortium for Political Research standing group on Regulatory Governance conference, Utrecht, Netherlands, 5-7 June. Available at: http://regulation.upf.edu/utrecht-08-papers/ssimpson.pdf

2008       Simpson, Seamus ‘Review of the EU’s Electronic Communications Regulatory Framework – the Significance of a Possible Electronic Communications Markets Authority’. Paper presented to the 17^th Biennial International Telecommunications Society Conference, Montreal, Canada, 24-27 June, 2008. Available at: http://www.canavents.com/its2008/abstracts/203.pdf

2007       Christou, George and Seamus Simpson, ‘New Modes of Regulatory Governance for the Internet? Country Code Top Level Domains in Europe’. Paper presented to the New Modes of Regulatory Governance Panel, European Consortium for Political Research General Conference, Pisa, Italy, 6-8 September. Available at: http://regulation.upf.edu/index.php?id=pisa_2007#PN386.

2007       Humphreys, Peter and Seamus Simpson ‘Globalization, the ‘Competition’ State and the Rise of the ‘Regulatory’ State in European Telecommunications’. Paper presented to the International Communications Association Conference, San Francisco, USA, May 24-28.

2005 Christou George and Seamus Simpson   ‘Transnational Private Governance of the Internet in the European Union: the Case of the dot eu Top Level Domain’. Paper presented to the European Consortium for Political Research Joint Sessions, Workshop 23: ‘Transnational Private Governance in the Global Political Economy’, Granada, Spain, April 14-19, 2005. Available at:

http://www.essex.ac.uk/ECPR/events/jointsessions/paperarchive/granada/ws23/Simpson.pdf

2004  Christou, George and Seamus Simpson  ‘Emerging Patterns of E-Commerce Governance in Europe - the European Union’s Directive on E-Commerce. Paper prepared for the 32^nd Telecommunications Policy Research Conference: Communication, Information and Internet Policy. George Mason University Law School, Arlington, Virginia, U.S., October 1-3.

2004       Christou, George and Seamus Simpson “Internet Policy Implementation and the Interplay between Global and Regional Levels – The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and the European Union (EU)”. Paper presented to the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) Joint Sessions, Workshop 1: “International Organisations and Policy Implementation”, Uppsala, Sweden, April 13-18. Available at: http://www.essex.ac.uk/ecpr/events/jointsessions/paperarchive/uppsala/ws1/Simpson.pdf

2003       Simpson, Seamus and Rorden Wilkinson (2003) "Governing E- Commerce: Prospects and Problems". Paper presented to the 31st  Telecommunications Policy Research Conference,  ‘Communication, Information and Internet Policy’, National Centre  for Technology and Law, George Mason University School of Law,  Arlington, Virginia, USA, 19-21 September. Available at:  http://www.tprc.org/

2003       Simpson Seamus and Rorden Wilkinson (2003), "First-Mover  Preferences, Structural Power and Path Dependency: the World  Trade Organisation and E-Commerce". Paper presented to the  International Research Foundation for Development, World Forum  on the Information Society, Geneva, Switzerland, December  8-10.

2002    Simpson, Seamus “Harmony, Hegemony and the Internet: a Neo-Gramscian Perspective”. Proceedings of the Fifth Annual International Business and Economics (IBEC) Conference, October 11-12,  St Norbert’s College, Green Bay, Wisconsin, U.S. pp220-36.

 2001       Simpson, Seamus and Rorden Wilkinson “Conceptualising Regulatory Change: Explaining Shifts in Telecommunications Governance”. Paper presented at the 29th Telecommunications Policy Research Conference, “Communication, Information and Internet Policy”, 27-29 October, Alexandria, Virginia, US. Available at: http://www.tprc.org/

2001       Halpin, Edward F. and Seamus Simpson “Between Self-Regulation and Intervention in the Networked Economy: the European Union and Internet Policy”. Paper Presented to the European Network on Industrial Policy (EUNIP) Conference, Vienna, Austria, 29th November to 1st December. Available at: http://www.eunip.com/

2000       Cawood, John and Seamus Simpson “Can Public Policy Widen Participation in Cyberspace? Networks, Interests and Initiatives in North West England” Proceedings of the Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility Conference, “Shaping the Network Society”, Seattle, May 20-23, pp 170-76.

2000       Cawood John and Seamus Simpson “Theories of Technology and the Making of Public Policy - Taking Local Action in a Global Information Society” Proceedings of  the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Symposium on Technology and Society, “University as a Bridge From Technology to Society, Rome, September 6-8, pp 297-302. ISBN 0-7803-5803-1.

1999       Simpson Seamus, “Convergence of Information and Communications Technologies: Devising an Effective Policy for the European Union.”  Paper presented at the European Consortium for Political Research workshop, “Regulating Communications in the Multimedia Age”. ECPR Joint Sessions of Workshops, Mannheim, 26th-31st March. Published online at: http://www.essex.ac.uk/ecpr/jointsessions/Manpapers/w24/simpson.pdf

Other Conference and Seminar Presentations:

2011 Simpson Seamus ‘Dan Schiller and How to Think About Information’, Presentation to the Institute of Humanities and Social Science Research, Manchester Metropolitan University, 1 March.

2011 Simpson Seamus ‘(Re)-Conceptualising the Public Interest in an Era of Digital Media’, Presentation to the Media Communication and Cultural Studies Association (MeCCSA) Conference, Salford Quays, 12-14 January.

2010       Simpson, Seamus ‘The EU as an International Actor in Internet Governance’. Invited speaker at the Information Society Network Seminar Series, Department of Politics, University of Exeter, 17 February.

2009       Simpson, Seamus and George Christou ‘The  Governance of  Country Code Top Level Domains in Europe’, presentation delivered to the 2009 Global Internet Governance Academic Network annual symposium,  Free University of Brussels, Belgium, 11 May.

2005 Simpson Seamus  . ‘Regulating Internet Commerce in the European Union: Convergence or Divergence?’. Presentation delivered at the International Communication Association Annual Conference, New York, May 26-30.

2004  Christou George and Seamus Simpson “The European Union (EU) and the Regulation of Electronic Commerce”. Presentation delivered at the European Policy Research Unit, “Research Workshop on Regulation”, Department of Government, University of  Manchester, May 14.

2004 Christou, George and Seamus Simpson  ‘‘The E-Commerce Directive: Transposition and Implementation Issues’. Presentation delivered at the European Regulation of Internet Commerce Symposium, Brussels, October 14.

2004 Christou, George and Seamus Simpson  ‘Between Strategic Political Bargaining and Practical Commercial Relevance: The significance of Dot EU’. Presentation delivered at the European Regulation of Internet Commerce Symposium, Brussels, October 14.

2004 Simpson Seamus.  Invited expert speaker at  the European Union Bridges of  Knowledge conference “Communications Policies of  the EU and Turkey”, University of Ankara, Ankara, October 18-19.

Book Chapters in Edited Collections:

2013 Christou, George and Seamus Simpson ‘The EU in the International Institutional Landscape of the Internet’ in Knud Erik Jorgensen and Katie Laatikainen (eds) Handbook on the European Union and International Institutions, Routledge pp 344-56.

2012       Christou, George and Seamus Simpson (2012) ‘The Influence of Global Internet Governance Institutions on the EU’, in Knud-Erik Jorgensen and Oriol Costa (eds) The EU in International Institutions, Palgrave.

2012       Simpson Seamus (2012) ‘New Approaches to the Development of Telecommunications Infrastructures in Europe? The Evolution of European Union Policy for Next Generation Networks’ in Natascha Just and Manuel Puppis (eds), New Directions in Communications Policy Research,  Intellect Books.

2008       Simpson Seamus,‘The Changing Totems of European Telecommunications Governance: Liberalisation, Market Forces and the Importance of the EU Regulatory Package’ in David Ward (ed.) “The European Union & the Culture Industries: Regulation and the Public Interest”, Aldershot: Ashgate, pp105-24.

2008       Christou, George and Seamus Simpson ‘Limitations to Transnational Private Governance of the Internet: the dot eu Top Level Domain’ in Jean-Christophe Graz and Andreas Nolke (eds.) Transnational Private Governance in the Global Political Economy, London: Routledge, pp. 156-67

2008       Christou George and Seamus Simpson ‘International Policy Implementation Through Gate Keeping: the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers’ in Jutta Joachim, Bob Reinalda and Bertjan Verbeek  (eds) Policy Implementation in International Organisations, London: Routledge, pp. 75-87

2005       Simpson,  Seamus  ‘Explaining Market Liberalisation and the Emergence of a European Union Regulatory Framework in Telecommunications: Structural Change, Globalisation and the Interplay Between National and European Levels”  in Mine Bek and Deirdre Kevin (eds.) The Communications Policies of Turkey and the EU. Ankara: University of Ankara Press, pp. 39-75

2000       Cawood, John and Seamus Simpson, “Building the Information Society from the Bottom-Up? EU Public Policy and Community Informatics Initiatives in North West England” in M Gurstein (ed.) Community Informatics, London: Idea Group Publishing, pp151-172.

1996       Humphreys Peter and Seamus Simpson, European Telecommunications and Globalisation . In:  P Gummett (ed.), Globalisation and Public Policy, Edward Elgar, Aldershot 1996.