Internet Governance Institutionalization: Process and Trajectories

Abstract

While the past decade of Internet governance issues and opportunities has been tumultuous and transformation-filled, the last few years have been particularly interesting in the global Internet governance ecosystem space. Both dramatic and subtle changes as well as continuities characterize the roles of key players in this arena. Much work has been done on nation-states, new institutions such as Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) or the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) (e.g., Brousseau et al. 2012; DeNardis 2009, 2014; Epstein 2013; Levinson 2012; Levinson and Cogburn 2011; Malcolm 2008; Mueller 2002a, 2010; Mueller et al. 2007; Pavan 2013), or even the private sector. Comparatively, less work has focused on the roles of international organizations (IOs), including long-standing regional IOs such as the Council of Europe (CoE).

The authors wish to acknowledge the support of EC-FP7 288021 Network of Excellence in Internet Science, and especially its Mobility Program, that made this joint work possible and also the School of International Service, American University, for its sabbatical support.