[Air-L] New Special Issue: Towards polycentricity? The quest for legitimacy and trust in digital governance (iCS)

[Danielle Flonk]

Dear all,

We are happy to announce a new Special Issue on polycentricity in digital
governance in *Information, Communication & Society*, edited by Matthew
Dylag, Daniëlle Flonk, Cristiana Lauri and Morshed Mannan. Access the Open
Access introduction here: https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2025.2552374.



The SI addresses how polycentricity affects trust and legitimacy in digital
governance along four dimensions: governance, actors, values, and tools.

- *Governance*: Positions on how to govern the digital realm are dispersed,
and perspectives on what should be governed in the first place are diffuse.
This has implications for trust and legitimacy: vulnerable groups, for
instance, are required to trust opaque techno-social systems.

- *Actors*: A wide range of actors has overlapping domains of authority and
diverse expertise, such as international organizations, states, digital
communities, and users. In order to make polycentric governance work, these
actors have to cooperate, often across sectors and borders.

- *Values*: Reasons and normative goals for digital governance vary,
leading to governance challenges. Different actors focus on different
values, for instance, transparency and accountability, freedom of speech,
human rights, or sovereignty. Contradicting values can lead to a decay in
trust and legitimacy.

- *Tools*: A variety of laws, regulations, private rules, norms, standards
and technologies are used to govern the digital. A combination of these
tools can increase trust and legitimacy, but not every tool is equally
effective.



With six wonderful and insightful contributions across disciplines and
topics:

- Matthew Dylag compares how the EU, Canada and the US legislate AI to
uncover their underlying policy goals.
https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2025.2556745

- Morshed Mannan, Primavera De Filippi & Tara Merk research how perceptions
about legitimate governance blockchain-based metaverses shape users'
decisions to exit, voice or remain loyal.
https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2025.2523978

- Isadora Borges Monroy assesses deputized surveillance as a central
mechanism in data gathering in US policing.
https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2025.2505696

- Lucas Henrique Muniz Conceição investigates the relationship between
digital constitutionalism and democracy, and how individuals navigate
governance both as citizens of states and users of digital platforms.
https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2025.2492572

- Ellie Rennie, Jason Potts & Joshua Tan assess to what extent groups of
validators have power over blockchain networks, which requires politics to
control. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2025.2455116

- Jan Aart Scholte wrote insightful concluding reflections on
polycentricity and legitimacy in digital governance.
http://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2026.2624711



Best,

Matthew, Daniëlle, Cristiana and Morshed

*Dani**ë**lle Flonk **/* *フロンク ダニエラ*

*Assistant Professor in International Relations and Politics*


*Hitotsubashi University*Faculty of Law
Hitotsubashi Institute for Advanced Studies (HIAS)
Faculty Building 2, Room 625
d.flonk at r.hit-u.ac.jp | @danielleflonk |
*Website <https://hri.ad.hit-u.ac.jp/html/100001780_profile_en.html>*

*Recent publications:*
Flonk, D., & Debre, M. J. (2025). Hollow multilateralism: How autocracies
contest the norms and procedures of international organizations. *International
Affairs*, 101(4) 1463–1482. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiaf104

Flonk, D., Jachtenfuchs, M. & Obendiek. A.S. (2024). Controlling internet
content in the EU: towards digital sovereignty. *Journal of European Public
Policy*, *31*(8), 2316-2342. DOI: 10.1080/13501763.2024.2309179
<https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2024.2309179>

Flonk, D. (2021). Emerging illiberal norms: Russia and China as promoters
of internet content control. *International Affairs*, *97*(6), 1925-1944.
https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiab146
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