Internet governance

Résumé 0

Internet governance (IG) is a lively, emerging field, and the body of research that explores it is no less emerging and varied. The Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG, 2005), following the United Nations-initiated World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), has provided the following “working definition” of IG: “Internet governance is the development and application by Governments, the private sector and civil society, in their respective roles, of shared principles, norms, rules, decision-making procedures, and programmes that shape the evolution and use of the Internet” (WGIG, 2005). The definition, beyond the acknowledgment that IG is about regulating the Internet, is perhaps too broad to be “operationally” useful in drawing precisely the boundaries of the field; however, it has reached wide consensus because of its inclusiveness, and provides several useful, albeit debatable, elements. This entry is part of the Elgar Encyclopedia of Development, a resource that provides a starting point for those wishing to grasp how and why development occurs, while also providing further expansion appropriate for more experienced academics.