The ongoing significance of national media systems in the context of media globalization

This article argues that the concept of national media systems, and the comparative study of media systems, institutions, and practices, retains relevance in an era of media globalization and technological convergence. It considers various critiques of ‘media systems’ theories, such as those which view the concept of ‘system’ as a legacy of an outdated positivism and those which argue that the media globalization is weakening the relevance of nation-states in structuring the field of media cultures and practices. It argues for the continuing centrality of nation-states to media processes, and the ongoing significance of the national space in an age of media globalization, with reference to case studies of Internet policies in China, Brazil, and Australia. These studies indicate that nation-states remain critical actors in media governance and that domestic actors largely shape the central dynamics of media policies, even where media technologies and platforms enable global flows of media content.

Comparative drift studies on streams in lower Austria (Flysch, gneiss and chalk formations) [Translation from: Schweizerische Zeitschrift fur Hydrobiologie 30 138-185, 1968.]

Seasonal changes and flooding have an extraordinarily great influence on the drift of organisms. The free water space plays the main part in the provision of food for some fish (Salmo trutta - trout): drift and content of the stomach are balanced here (Simuliidae): whereas others (Thymallus vulgaris) only selectively chose certain animals living at the bottom (molluscs). The total drift, drift of organisms and drift of organic material and minerals, plays a main role in the rate of production in streams. Besides the biology of the organisms living on the river bed, also the geological and hydrographical situation of the area plays a very important role for the composition of the drift. During the years 1964-1966 three streams in the characteristical geological formations flysch, gneiss and chalk of lower Austria were studied in regard to their drift. The Tulln (above St. Christopen), the Krems (above Senftenberg) and the Schwarza (above Hirschwang) seemed to be ideal for this comparative study because they are easy to reach. After summarising the hydrography and chemistry of examined rivers, the author examines the relationship between water level and total drift and the stratification of the total drift before analysing the drift of living organisms. Also considered are seasonal changes of drift of organisms and drift of exuviae.

Media History and Media Studies: aspects of the development of the study of media history in the UK 1945-2000

O'Malley, T. (2002). Media History and Media Studies: aspects of the development of the study of media history in the UK 1945-2000. Media History. 8 (2), 155-173. RAE2008

Comparative effectiveness studies to improve clinical outcomes in end stage renal disease: the DEcIDE patient outcomes in end stage renal disease study.

BACKGROUND: Evidence is lacking to inform providers' and patients' decisions about many common treatment strategies for patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD). METHODS/DESIGN: The DEcIDE Patient Outcomes in ESRD Study is funded by the United States (US) Agency for Health Care Research and Quality to study the comparative effectiveness of: 1) antihypertensive therapies, 2) early versus later initiation of dialysis, and 3) intravenous iron therapies on clinical outcomes in patients with ESRD. Ongoing studies utilize four existing, nationally representative cohorts of patients with ESRD, including (1) the Choices for Healthy Outcomes in Caring for ESRD study (1041 incident dialysis patients recruited from October 1995 to June 1999 with complete outcome ascertainment through 2009), (2) the Dialysis Clinic Inc (45,124 incident dialysis patients initiating and receiving their care from 2003-2010 with complete outcome ascertainment through 2010), (3) the United States Renal Data System (333,308 incident dialysis patients from 2006-2009 with complete outcome ascertainment through 2010), and (4) the Cleveland Clinic Foundation Chronic Kidney Disease Registry (53,399 patients with chronic kidney disease with outcome ascertainment from 2005 through 2009). We ascertain patient reported outcomes (i.e., health-related quality of life), morbidity, and mortality using clinical and administrative data, and data obtained from national death indices. We use advanced statistical methods (e.g., propensity scoring and marginal structural modeling) to account for potential biases of our study designs. All data are de-identified for analyses. The conduct of studies and dissemination of findings are guided by input from Stakeholders in the ESRD community. DISCUSSION: The DEcIDE Patient Outcomes in ESRD Study will provide needed evidence regarding the effectiveness of common treatments employed for dialysis patients. Carefully planned dissemination strategies to the ESRD community will enhance studies' impact on clinical care and patients' outcomes.

Parallel Time Series Analysis and Income Inequality: A New Approach to Comparative Case Studies

This case study deals with the role of time series analysis in sociology, and its relationship with the wider literature and methodology of comparative case study research. Time series analysis is now well-represented in top-ranked sociology journals, often in the form of ‘pooled time series’ research designs. These studies typically pool multiple countries together into a pooled time series cross-section panel, in order to provide a larger sample for more robust and comprehensive analysis. This approach is well suited to exploring trans-national phenomena, and for elaborating useful macro-level theories specific to social structures, national policies, and long-term historical processes. It is less suited however, to understanding how these global social processes work in different countries. As such, the complexities of individual countries - which often display very different or contradictory dynamics than those suggested in pooled studies – are subsumed. Meanwhile, a robust literature on comparative case-based methods exists in the social sciences, where researchers focus on differences between cases, and the complex ways in which they co-evolve or diverge over time. A good example of this is the inequality literature, where although panel studies suggest a general trend of rising inequality driven by the weakening power of labour, marketisation of welfare, and the rising power of capital, some countries have still managed to remain resilient. This case study takes a closer look at what can be learned by applying the insights of case-based comparative research to the method of time series analysis. Taking international income inequality as its point of departure, it argues that we have much to learn about the viability of different combinations of policy options by examining how they work in different countries over time. By taking representative cases from different welfare systems (liberal, social democratic, corporatist, or antipodean), we can better sharpen our theories of how policies can be more specifically engineered to offset rising inequality. This involves a fundamental realignment of the strategy of time series analysis, grounding it instead in a qualitative appreciation of the historical context of cases, as a basis for comparing effects between different countries.

Media studies for AQA GCSE.

Cumple con los requisitos exigidos para la preparación del General Certificate Secondary Education (GCSE). Está divido en dos partes diferenciadas: en la primera, se define el concepto de medios de comunicación ó 'media' en el término inglés y los cuatro elementos clave que permiten comprender su funcionamiento y el papel que desempeñan en la sociedad. Estos conceptos son: el lenguaje, la representación ó proceso de presentación, la organización o institución productora y el público ó audiencia que son los consumidores de todos estos productos. En la última parte, se analizan por separado las características de los distintos medios de comunicación: el cine, los medios de comunicación tecnológicos, los periódicos, revistas y comics, la industria musical, la publicidad, la radio, los canales televisivos de noticias y los programas de televisión llamados 'reality'. El libro del estudiante va acompañado de material docente.

Media studies for AQA GCSE. Teacher's resource.

Este recurso docente ofrece actividades prácticas y hojas de trabajo que se apoyan en los conocimientos teóricos del libro del alumno, así como preparación para las distintas modalidades de evaluación. Se acompaña de un CD-ROM con enlaces a una web actualizada regularmente, que contiene ejemplos de textos de medios de comunicación (con video, audio, imágenes y formatos PDF) para su análisis en clase.

GCSE Media studies.

Se explican los cuatro principales conceptos que constituyen la base del contenido temático del curso: el lenguaje de los medios; las instituciones; el público y la representación que hacen del mundo a través de estereotipos y mensajes ocultos y que ayudan al público a consumir los medios de comunicación. También, se estudian las diferentes formas que presentan éstos, desde los que trasmiten imágenes en movimiento y a través del sonido, hasta los medios impresos y las nuevas tecnologías. Así, se abarca desde distintos programas de televisión y radio hasta el cine, la música, las revistas y periódicos, los cómics y la publicidad.

GCSE media studies. Teacher guide.

Es un recurso para el profesor con material para la preparación de los exámenes del General Certificate Secondary Education (GCSE) en la especificación AQA. Incluye hojas de trabajo para los alumnos, sugerencias de tareas y evaluaciones controladas, así como orientación sobre la producción en los medios de comunicación para ayudar con los ejercicios prácticos de producción.

OCR media studies for A2.

Libro para estudiantes en el área de medios de información, orientado a la superación del examen oficial del OCR (Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations) en el nivel A2. A través del análisis de seis temas clave (medios de comunicación e identidad colectiva, medios de comunicación globales, medios de comunicación en la era digital, medios de comunicación y democracia, regulación contemporánea de los medios de comunicación y medios de comunicación postmodernos) el autor proporciona a los alumnos un marco de referencia para comprender cómo los medios de comunicación influyen en nuestras vidas y cómo interactuamos con ellos.

A2 media studies : the essential introduction for AQA.

Libro para estudiantes de los niveles AS a A2 (enseñanza secundaria de segundo ciclo, bachillerato) orientado a superar la certificación AQA (Assessment and Qualifications Alliance) en la materia de medios de información y comunicación. Está estructurado en seis capítulos que cubren las siguientes materias: desarrollo del análisis de texto, marco de referencia histórico para el análisis, temas y casos de estudio para debatir (MEST3 y MEST4), habilidades de investigación y presentación. Incluye ejercicios, conceptos básicos y ejemplos de preguntas de examen.

OCR Media studies for GCSE.

Libro de texto para la asignatura de 'Estudio de los medios de comunicación' en enseñanza secundaria, según la especificación OCR (Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations) para la obtención del certificado GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education). Los contenidos del libro, estructurados en tres secciones (porfolio individual de los medios, análisis textual y realización de una presentación) facilitan al alumno una introducción a los conceptos básicos de los medios de comunicación, una explicación de cómo el trabajo práctico refuerza la comprensión teórica, actividades y ejercicios para realizar en clase o en casa, casos de estudio reales y ejemplos, comentarios de expertos y preguntas tipo examen.