Data: Toward the commoning of governance

Widely presupposed as the only valid possibilities in both theory and practice, this stale dilemma covers up a real multitude of actually existing alternative approaches to governance practiced in civil society. State/Market approaches are identical in the way that they construct a 'spectator' role for communities, who are left to choose between their preferred set of rules and norms developed elsewhere.

The concept of commoning governance offers an opportunity to break free of this stalemate. It creates a new role for citizens and their communities as 'sparring partners'; who although they operate within the limits of current State/Market institutions, create new norms and rules against and beyond them. In the paper, we first expand on our understanding of commoning governance: re-designing governance arrangements to serve the common good.