[IRPCoalition] NEW- Multistakeholder as Governance Groups

[Carolina Rossini]

http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/node/9574

https://publixphere.net/i/noc/page/IG_Case_Study_Water_Management_in_Northern_Ghana

https://publixphere.net/i/noc/page/IG_Case_Study_Swiss_ComCom_FTTH_Roundtable

congrats to all involved!
Multistakeholder as Governance Groups: New Study by Global Network of
Internet and Society CentersJanuary 15, 2015

The Global Network of Internet and Society Research Centers (NoC)
<http://networkofcenters.net/> and the Berkman Center for Internet & Society
<http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/> at Harvard University are pleased to
announce the release of a new report
<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2549270> on
Multistakeholder Governance Groups, which informs the debate about Internet
governance models and mechanisms. The report is the result of a
globally-coordinated academic research effort among NoC participants and
consists of twelve geographically and topically diverse case studies
<https://publixphere.net/i/noc/page/Internet_Governance_Research_Project_Case_Studies>
of
governance structures, and a synthesis paper
<https://publixphere.net/i/noc/page/Internet_Governance_Research_Project_Synthesis>
that
summarizes key findings across these cases. The research examines
multistakeholder governance groups with the goal of informing the future
evolution of the Internet governance ecosystem. Building upon theNETmundial
Principles and Roadmap
<http://netmundial.br/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/NETmundial-Multistakeholder-Document.pdf>,
it contributes to current policy debates at the international level,
including the Internet Governance Forum, the NETmundial Initiative, and the
World Economic Forum.

"We are at crossroads when it comes to the global governance of the
Internet, where we must not only respond to complex technical challenges,
but also deal with a broad range of policy issues ranging from
cybersecurity to net neutrality and human rights," said Berkman Center
Executive Director and Harvard Law School Professor of Practice Urs Gasser,
who led the international effort. "This collaborative research wants to
strengthen the evidence-base as we search for future governance models that
preserve the generativity and openness of the Internet, while also
addressing pressing challenges and problems."

At a point where the future of Internet governance is being re-envisioned,
the report deepens our understanding of the formation, operation, and
critical success factors of governance groups. The study concludes that:

“...there is no single best-fit model for multistakeholder governance
groups that can be applied in all instances. Rather, it reveals a range of
approaches, mechanisms, and tools available for both the formation and
operation of such groups. The analysis demonstrates that the success of
governance groups depends to a large degree on the careful selection,
deployment, and management of suitable instruments from this ‘toolbox’. As
governance groups pass through different phases of operation, conveners and
facilitators must remain alert to changes in circumstances that necessitate
adjustments to the approaches, mechanisms, and tools that they deploy in
order to address evolving challenges from inside and from outside. The case
study series provides insights into how those instruments can be deployed
and adjusted over time within such groups, and highlights how their
interactions with important contextual factors may be successfully managed
within given resource restraints.”

Other key observations from the study, as further described in the
synthesis paper, include:

   - Inclusiveness (including mechanisms for participation) and
   transparency are critical factors to be managed and adjusted throughout the
   lifecycle of governance groups.
   - How governance groups define accountability and legitimacy is highly
   reflective of and dependent on contextual factors.
   - Different governance groups have different measures of success and
   effectiveness that are tied to their unique contexts and to factors that
   change over time.

The report is the first study by the recently launched Global Network of
Internet and Society Centers, which brings together over 30 academic
institutions from around the globe. As a milestone, it demonstrates that a
global network of academic research centers can create a shared repository
of timely and relevant research, which includes peer-reviewed methodologies
and adherence to academic standards, open data, and expertise on diverse
issues related to global policy debates. More broadly, the Network of
Centers seeks to contribute to a more generalized vision and longer-term
strategy for academia regarding its roles in research, facilitation and
convening, and education in and communication about the Internet age.

The Berkman Center has facilitated the research project, drafted the
synthesis document, and contributed the following two case studies to the
collaborative effort:

“Water Management in Northern Ghana”
<https://publixphere.net/i/noc/page/IG_Case_Study_Water_Management_in_Northern_Ghana>
This case study examines and compares the international deployment of the
decentralized integrated water resource management (IWRM) model for the
management of water resources at the local and transboundary levels of the
White Volta River Basin and discusses the development of IWRM in water
governance more broadly.

“Swiss ComCom FTTH Roundtable Case Study”
<https://publixphere.net/i/noc/page/IG_Case_Study_Swiss_ComCom_FTTH_Roundtable>
This case study explores the dimensions of how the Swiss government used a
multistakeholder process to organize private sector firms to begin
deploying in a coordinated fashion a fiber optic network connected to every
home in Switzerland.
The full text of these contributions, as well as the case studies by our
international partners and the synthesis paper
<https://publixphere.net/i/noc/page/Internet_Governance_Research_Project_Synthesis>,
are available on the Publixphere website
<https://publixphere.net/i/noc/page/Internet_Governance_Research_Project_Case_Studies>,
where the authors welcome comments and feedback. The series and individual
papers are also available for download from SSRN
<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2549270>.

*About the Network of Internet and Society Research Centers*
The Global Network of Internet and Society Research Centers (NoC) was
launched by a group of academic centers – including the Berkman Center - in
2012 in recognition of the lack of internationally coordinated research and
engagement activities in issues concerning the Internet and related
technologies. The NoC is a collaborative initiative among academic
institutions with a focus on interdisciplinary research on the development,
social impact, policy implications, and legal issues concerning the
Internet. This collective aims to increase interoperability between
participating centers in order to stimulate the creation of new
cross-national, cross-disciplinary conversation, debate, teaching,
learning, and engagement regarding the most pressing questions around new
technologies, social change, and related policy and regulatory
developments. More information can be found at
http://networkofcenters.net/about. <http://networkofcenters.net/about>

*About the Berkman Center for Internet and Society: *
The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University is a
research program founded to explore cyberspace, share in its study, and
help pioneer its development. Founded in 1997, through a generous gift from
Jack N. and Lillian R. Berkman, the Center is home to an ever-growing
community of faculty, fellows, staff, and affiliates working on projects
that span the broad range of intersections between cyberspace, technology,
and society. More information can be found athttp://cyber.law.harvard.edu.
<http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/>

-- 
-- 
*Carolina Rossini *
*Vice President, International Policy*
*Public Knowledge*
*http://www.publicknowledge.org/ <http://www.publicknowledge.org/>*
+ 1 6176979389 | skype: carolrossini | @carolinarossini
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