The publication “An Introduction to the Digital Commons: From Common-Pool Resources to Community Governance” by Mélanie Dulong de Rosnay and Hervé Le Crosnier, explores the concept of digital commons within the framework of common-pool resources (CPR). It examines the shift from viewing digital resources merely in terms of scarcity and reproducibility to focusing on community governance for resource production and sharing, while avoiding risks like pollution, degradation, or market enclosure.
The paper discusses the internet’s role in facilitating the duplication and distribution of digital information at minimal costs, making it a public, non-rival, and non-excludable good. However, it also highlights the parallel development of commodification and artificial enclosure of digital information. The authors delve into the concept of commons-based peer production (CBPP) online communities, contrasting them with market-driven models and emphasizing the importance of community governance in managing digital resources.
The article further analyzes the economic characteristics of digital information resources, the governance models of digital production communities, and the challenges posed by market approaches, including the creation of artificial scarcity and the “tragedy of the anticommons.” It also examines the role of open licenses like GNU GPL and Creative Commons in facilitating CBPP and the governance of digital resources.
Finally, the paper applies Elinor Ostrom’s eight design principles for CPR to digital resources, exploring how these principles can be adapted to the governance of digital commons. It concludes by discussing the need for a balance between community self-determination and broader social and political engagement to protect open access and CBPP of digital resources.
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