Global Network of Internet and Society Research Centers – Event Series on the Future of Internet Governance

The Evolution of the Internet Governance Ecosystem

Hosted by the Nexa Center for Internet & Society at Politecnico di Torino (DAUIN) in collaboration with the Network of Centers.

Thursday, 2 October 2014
From 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Aula Magna “Giovanni Agnelli”, Politecnico di Torino
Corso Duca degli Abruzzi, 24 – 10129 Torino (Italy)

Free entry while seats last, subject to registration (required) at the address: Eventbrite

Conference hashtags: #NoC #IG

Facebook event

On October 2, 2014 the Global Network of Interdisciplinary Internet & Society Research Centers will host an academic symposium on “The Evolution of the Internet Governance Ecosystem” as part of an ongoing Network of Centers (NoC) events series on the future of Internet governance. The event will mark an important milestone in the NoC’s globally coordinated research effort aimed at examining existing and potential models of distributed and collaborative governance with the goal of informing the evolution of – and current debate around – the Internet governance ecosystem in light of the NETmundial Roadmap and the work of various forums, panels, and committees.

The public conference is being held to discuss both research in progress and, more broadly, the role of academia in the debate about the next generation Internet gofvernance ecosystem. We will present findings from case studies, discuss the overarching themes, and identify directions for future research.

The symposium will serve as the conclusion of the first phase of a global, collaborative Internet governance research effort within the NoC and is also intended as an initial contribution to the NETmundial Initiative — a partnership between the World Economic Forum, ICANN, and key governmental, industry, academic, and civil society stakeholders. In addition, the event marks the two-year anniversary of NoC’s operation. At this point, in accordance with the foundational principles, the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG) hands over the administrative leadership of the Network to the Nexa Center for Internet & Society.

Please find the conference notes here.

Conference Programme

8:00 – 9:00

Registration

9:00 – 9:30

Introduction and Framing

The public symposium kicks off with welcoming remarks and a framing of the event, at which current research on distributed and collaborative Internet governance will be discussed, but also used as an example and “placeholder” to examine more broadly the role academia can or should play as we work towards the next generation Internet ecosystem.

Greetings from the Rector

Marco Gilli (Rector of the Politecnico di Torino, Italy)

Welcoming Remarks

Juan Carlos De Martin (Nexa Center for Internet and Society, Politecnico di Torino, Italy)

Framing the (Research) Challenge: In Search of A Concept of Distributed and Collaborative Internet Governance

Urs Gasser (Berkman Center for Internet & Society, Harvard University, USA) | SLIDE

9:30 – 10:30

Top-Down: Architecting Distributed Governance Systems – Theories, Approaches, and Designs

The NETmundial Roadmap and subsequent reports and events, including the recently launched NETmundial Initiative, emphasize the importance of “distributed and collaborative Internet governance.” Exploring theories, approaches, and designs from within and outside the field of Internet governance, this panel addresses the question what it means conceptually to design and architect such distributed systems.

Moderator: Raimondo Iemma (Nexa Center for Internet and Society, Politecnico di Torino, Italy)

Panelists:

Herbert Burkert (Research Center for Information Law, University of St. Gallen, Switzerland)

William Drake (Institute of Mass Communication and Media Research, University of Zurich, Switzerland)

Stefano Quintarelli (Member of Parliament, Parliamentary Intergroup for Technological Innovation, Italy)

Malavika Jayaram (Berkman Center for Internet & Society, Harvard University, USA & Centre for Internet and Society Bangalore, India)

Carolina Rossini (Public Knowledge, USA)

Antonello Giacomelli (Vice-Minister for Telecommunications, Italy)

10:30 – 10:45

Coffee break

10:45 – 12:00

Bottom-Up: Insights and Inspiration from Real-World Case Studies

Still focusing on the concept of “distributed and collaborative Internet governance,” the second panel will look at the phenomenon—complementary to the first one—from a bottom-up angle: What are real-world examples of governance models and mechanisms that might inform, inspire, or even guide the evolution of a distributed and collaborative Internet governance ecosystem? What are the lessons learned from ongoing research on such models, but also what are the limitations and knowledge gaps?

Moderator: Wolfgang Schulz (Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society – HIIG, Germany)

Panelists:

Daniel Benoliel (Haifa Center of Law and Technology – HCLT, University of Haifa, Israel)

Ryan Budish (Berkman Center for Internet & Society, Harvard University, USA)

Jeanette Hofmann (Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society – HIIG, Germany)

Leyla Keser (IT Law Institute, Bilgi University, Turkey)

Marília Maciel (Center for Technology and Society – CTS, Getulio Vargas Foundation – FGV – School of Law, Brazil)

Anne Salim (iHub Research, Kenya)

12:00 – 13:15

Building Blocks and Toolkits for Distributed IG Models

Moving from conceptual to practical issues, this session will highlight in a series of brief statements, followed by open discussion, a number of tools, platforms, and best practices that are aimed at supporting the formation, operation, and performance of distributed and collaborative Internet governance models, groups, and mechanisms.

Moderator: Mayte Peters Schomburg (Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society – HIIG, Germany)

Issue-to-solution mapping tool

Stefaan Verhulst (GovLab, New York University, USA) | SLIDE

Clearinghouse Proposal

William Drake (Institute of Mass Communication and Media Research, IPMZ, University of Zurich, Switzerland)

IGF Best Practice Models

Constance Bommelaer (Internet Society, Switzerland)

The Geneva Platform

Jovan Kurbalija (Diplo Foundation, Switzerland) | SLIDE

13:30 – 15:00

Lunch

15:00 – 16:45

Linking it Back: The Role of Academia vis-a-vis the Quest for a Next Generation Internet Governance Ecosystem – Research, Education, Capacity Building

Reflecting on the previous sessions and linking it back to the framing of the day, this final panel takes two steps back and explores the role of academia in the discussion about the future Internet governance ecosystem. Issues to cover include not only questions related to research, but also related aspects such as teaching and educating about Internet governance, or capacity building in the Global South.

Moderator: Elena Pavan (Nexa Center for Internet & Society, Politecnico di Torino, Italy) | SLIDE

Panelists:

Chinmayi Arun (Centre for Communication Governance (CCG), National Law University, India)

Juan Carlos De Martin (Nexa Center for Internet & Society, Politecnico di Torino, Italy)

Venancio Massingue (Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique)

Carolina Rossini (Public Knowledge, USA)