Internet Governance Typology: A Conceptual Framework for Practical Policy Analysis

Abstract

This paper will lay out a typology of Internet governance and will use that typology to provide: 1) a static analysis of the kinds of collective decisions that constitute “governance” 2) a dynamic analysis of the institutional evolution of the Internet sector 3) policy recommendations for making global policy. Static Analysis The existing literature on Internet governance already offers various typologies of collective decision (e.g. Malcolm, 2008; Mathiason, 2009). The typology offered here is slightly different, in that it includes international relations, which other studies do not recognize. The four types here are: 1) technical standard-setting: this consists of collective specifications of technology that forms the functional base of the sector 2) sectoral regulation: this consists of detailed non-technical regulations for the Internet sector. These apply to social and technical elements. They include: price setting, licensing, terms of contracts, property rights, etc.3) public policy: these are collective decisions that touch on a nation’s core values. In OECD nations these values might be justice, fairness, tradition, religion, sexuality, free speech, privacy, etc. 4) international relations: this refers to rules that regulate the behavior of nation states. The classic focus of such rules are sovereignty, i.e. national defense, respect for borders, and mutual autonomy.