Governing the public core of the Internet: a snapshot of the Netherlands’ practices

Abstract

This paper reviews governance practices in the Netherlands vis-à-vis the public core of the

Internet. The discussion proceeds in three steps. First, we briefly set out our understanding of

the concept of ‘the public core’ as covering the underlying technical infrastructure of the Internet.

Second, we describe the general approach in the Netherlands to governing the public core of the Internet as ‘polycentric’, meaning that processes of making and implementing rules for the public core are spread across multiple sites. This governance is transsectoral, in that it involves actors from both the public and the private domains, sometimes combined in so-called ‘multistakeholder’ arrangements. The governance is also transscalar, in that it involves actors with global, regional, national and local remits. Third, we highlight certain consequences of this polycentric approach to governance, both promises (such as enhanced opportunities for creative policy experimentation) and pitfalls (such as greater scope for confusion, duplication and incoherence).