The balance of egalitarian and utilitarian-based ethics vs. The balkanization of groups, resources, and standards is the focus of the public choice theory (Meijer, Homburg, 2009).
Using the Internet and open source as an example, the authors illustrate that this balancing of utilitarianism and balkanization can be achieved through the use of more egalitarian development and publishing platforms, not necessary the use of laws and compliance (Jarvenpaa, Tiller, Simons, 2003). The failure of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is a case in point (Attaway, 2006). The authors point to DMCA's failure as a testament to how effective open source development platforms and applications are on ensuring the Internet stay egalitarian and relatively open (Jarvenpaa, Tiller, Simons, 2003). Without open source platforms and applications, the authors contend that there will be widespread balkanization and the restriction of access,...
The authors conclude the analysis with insights into how the public choice of the Linux Standards Base (LSB) and the endorsement by that industry's governing council provides a framework for how comparable government entities could create more egalitarian-based approaches to decision making as well. Architecture and government standards together redefine the Internet's potential for public choice and its potential for greater egalitarian use (Jarvenpaa, Tiller, Simons, 2003)
References
Fritz Attaway. (2006). DMCA Brings Good Things to Life. IEEE Spectrum, 43(6), 29.
Sirkka L. Jarvenpaa, Emerson H. Tiller, & Robert Simons. (2003). Regulation and the Internet: Public choice insights for business organizations. California Management Review, 46(1), 72-85.
Meijer, a., & Homburg, V.. (2009). Disclosure and compliance: The 'pillory'…
