Central Theme

The outline used to organize this bibliography reflects the categories and sub-categories created to sort out different aspects of the regulatory landscape.  The basic theme of the outline is that there are regulatory MECHANISMS, SOURCES OF LAW, and regulatory MODELS.

• MECHANISMS are such things as self-help and the market. They control people's behavior according to a rationale; they are the means of regulating. In traditional terms, mechanisms are the adjudicative and enforcement bodies, the police and the courts.
• SOURCES OF LAW are the rationale's that direct the implementation of the mechanisms; they give authority and reason to the mechanisms. Traditional examples include statues, regulations, and caselaw.
• MODELS are combinations of mechanisms and sources of law organized according to a theory.

  MECHANISM + SOURCE OF LAW + THEORY = MODEL.

The bibliographic references are not in standard bibliographic format, but are formatted according to the 16th ed. of the Blue Book. The majority of the bibliography explores both existing and proposed mechanisms and sources of law.  At the end is a section describing different models built out of combinations of mechanisms and sources of law. Hopefully, this organizational structure, of combining mechanisms and sources of law into models, can provide terminology for consistent discussions about Internet regulation. Please remember that it is a work in progress, constantly being updated and expanded as new pieces are written and the debate on Internet regulation and the possibilities of self-regulation mature.