Relationships between Media Freedom and Social Capital, Evaluating Newspaper Responses to Internet Competition, and Audience Demand for Television Broadcasts of International Football Games

Abstract

The fi rst article in this issue fi nds a U-shaped relationship between media freedom and social capital. This suggests media freedom is associated with open societies where social and economic interactions involve heterogenous groups. Closed societies where interactions involve homogenous groups are not associated with media freedom. The second article examines di ff erentiation strategies used by newspapers to respond to Internet competition. The article concludes these strategies have failed. The third article examines how uncertainty about the outcome of an international football game a ff ects audience demand. Game outcome uncertainty in fl uences demand for international friendly games, but not for qualifying and tournament games. The fi rst article is “ Media Freedom and Social Capital ” by Sanghoon Lee. This study examines relationships between social capital and media freedom in a sample of 197 countries. Social capital exists when membership in a group or network creates a credential that allows members to participate in and bene fi t from the network. Social capital can also be identi fi ed by norms that members of a group practice such as reciprocity and trust. Social capital can improve the exchange of economically important information, builds social cohesion, and provide social support for group members. Media freedom can also improve “ the free fl ow of ideas and access to information and knowledge ” (p. 4) which can aid economic development. This may be the fi rst study to examine direct relationships between social capital and media freedom. The study uses a cross-sectional and a random e ff ects panel analysis. Two types of social capital are examined. Bonding social capital is created by ties between members of a network with similar characteristics, such as an ethnic fraternal organization. Bridging social capital is created by interactions between heterogenous groups with looser ties than the ties in bonding social capital. Membership in ecumenical religious organizations is an example of bridging social capital. Media freedom is a function of the legal and political media environment, measured by indicators devel-oped by media groups and citizens ’ perceptions of their ability to select their government and freely express themselves. The analysis fi nds a U-shaped relationship between media freedom and social capital.