Contrary to what many people believe, the Internet is not an unregulated space. More than 300 instruments and over 100 global actors are involved in its governance. While much of how the Internet functions remains out of the public eye, more and more of its technical specifications are in sharper focus through global discussions on universal access, privacy, net neutrality, or encryption. In “Global Rules for Emerging Issue Domains: Negotiating the Governance of the Internet”, a PhD thesis directed by Professor Thomas Biersteker and defended last September at the Graduate Institute, Dr Roxana Radu explains how a system of global rules comes into place to govern a nascent policy field, the Internet. She provides an innovative theoretical perspective on the emergence and articulation of governance by analysing how Internet governance mechanisms, actors and anchoring practices evolved from the early Internet days to now.

How did you come to study Internet governance?

I initially started working on Internet governance during my master’s studies, and decided to conduct a more comprehensive research on the issue through a PhD that I began in 2011. At the time, I was also working at the Center for Media and Communication Studies at the Central European University in Budapest, on a project that explored a new research agenda for cybersecurity in Europe. Delving deeper into the topic, I ascertained that a novel approach was needed in order to position cybersecurity developments. I was fascinated by the complexity of the digital policy field. When a key set of assumptions about the governance of the Internet changed in the middle of my PhD with the Snowden revelations, I was driven to explore the shifts not only empirically, but also theoretically.

What are your major findings?

Our everyday experience on the Internet is primarily concentrated around the visible components of the World Wide Web – social media, email, file transfers, peer-to-peer sharing or online transactions. Little is known about the complex governance arrangements shaping the Internet. From 1970s to now, the developments that led to the Internet becoming a global backbone for political, legal, commercial and social dynamics were mired in political stakes. My analysis shows that the emerging order around Internet governance relies on a multitude of powerful actors, decision-making loci, and hybrid forums in permanent interaction. At the same time, this order is also a response to global restructuring trends and to external shocks.

Whether we think about the infrastructure and critical resources, the digital economy or civil liberties, it is difficult to capture the Internet in a static manner. In the thesis, I analyse comprehensively three historical periods, observing their specific governance patterns:

1. The early days of the Internet (1969–1994) were dominated by informal governance and a focus on technical standards.
2. The globalisation of the Internet (1995–2004) was closely linked to an increasing role of private actors and the salience of the market-oriented approach.
3. The decade of global regulatory arrangements (2005–2015) brought more hybrid configurations to the fore.

Over the last two decades, cybersecurity was a constant, evolving preoccupation. It is in this area that different governance instruments were concentrated, from soft to hard law mechanisms. The extent to which these coexist brings forward two important insights: first, the logics of action pertaining to different actors involved in Internet governance constrain the design of new rules; second, complex arrangements are negotiated simultaneously in different fora with minimum interaction. The latter result in contestation at various levels, ranging from street protests to the initiation of United Nations resolutions. It is not enough to understand these governance patterns without shedding light on how they are perpetuated or discontinued by communities of practice, which is why I complemented my study with an analysis of anchoring practices (recurrent, enduring routines) in Internet governance.

Theoretically, my thesis elucidates the various stages in the construction of a new field of global governance, as well as the emergence and articulation of governance mechanisms over time. In International Relations, we still lack a coherent theoretical approach to grasp the evolution of issue domains beyond fragmentary glimpses at key developments in specific policy areas. For the Internet field, many of the observed governance patterns are inherited, at least in part, from other rule systems. While the genesis of a field might be the result of contingency and spontaneous action, its structuration is a political endeavour par excellence.

Your research is then highly relevant for policymakers, while providing a theoretical foundation in International Relations.

Indeed, my research provides policymakers with a set of knowledge tools for better understanding and engaging with Internet governance issues. As for anyone interested in finding out more about contemporary global developments, this study is a primer on how Internet governance is (re)negotiated in numerous fora by a variety of players, including governments, international organisations, civil society, businesses, technical and academic experts, as well as end-users. The fast and substantial growth of this issue domain was fomented both by technical developments and by an unprecedented institutional expansion. As the network grew manifold, the range of actors interested in its governance diversified; from the small group of individuals operating in loose structures at the outset, we nowadays have a highly diverse set of actors and a formalised system of rules (re)defined in numerous settings. The thesis explains this evolution.

For scholars of globalisation, the longitudinal perspective adopted in my study is especially relevant as it demonstrates the reversibility of authority from governments to non-state actors, which is not only possible and deliberate, but also unfolding in ways previously understudied.

What are you doing now?

I continue to work closely on Internet governance in different capacities. As programme manager at the Geneva Internet Platform (GIP), I am engaging with the international governance system on a daily basis. The GIP is operated by DiploFoundation and fulfils the mission of a platform for discussion, a capacity-building centre, and an observatory covering digital policies and Internet governance at the global level. The GIP plays a key role in supporting permanent missions in Geneva and assists developing countries on Internet-related issues. Through this work, I have several opportunities to build on my research endeavours during my PhD and contribute to the field of Internet governance as a practitioner at the international level.

Furthermore, I continue to maintain strong ties to academia, particularly through my involvement with the Graduate Institute, where I am affiliated with the Programme for the Study of International Governance as a research associate. I am also a fellow (non-resident) at the Centre for Media, Data and Society in Budapest.

Lastly, as an active participant in civil society, I’m a member of the board and currently the chair of Internet Society – Switzerland Chapter, a non-for-profit association monitoring and contributing to the development of information and communication technologies and related policies at the national level.

How will you remember your doctoral experience?

My doctoral years provided a great opportunity for me to learn in action. As I was following developments in a rapidly changing field, staying alert and observing policy debates closely, I participated in different capacities in Internet governance discussions. This entailed engagement in global meetings ranging from the annual UN-led Internet Governance Forum to regular ICANN meetings or one-time events such as NetMundial. These meetings were often organised in different parts of the world and brought together a diverse group of people, thereby exposing me to a multitude of cultures, thinking and perspectives, not only in the realm of Internet governance, but also regarding broader social, economic, environmental and political concerns of our times. These interactions also led to a number of collaborations for academic projects. Among these is the book that I coedited on the margins of the World Conference on International Telecommunications held in 2012, entitled The Evolution of Global Internet Governance: Principles and Policies in the Making (Springer, 2014). Its translation in Chinese is due to be completed this year.

From 2013 to 2015, I worked as a teaching assistant for the masters in interdisciplinary studies at the Institute, which allowed me to continue to develop my pedagogical and research skills and interact with professionals at different levels in their careers. My research was also enriched by my stays at the Hertie School of Governance (Berlin) in 2013 and at the Institute for Technology and Society (Rio de Janeiro) in 2015.

Full citation of the PhD thesis: Radu, Roxana. “Global Rules for Emerging Issue Domains: Negotiating the Governance of the Internet”. PhD thesis (summa cum laude), Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, 2016.

Illustration: adapted from The Internet Governance Forum (IGF), by ITU Pictures, CC BY 2.0.