<div dir="ltr"><a href="https://cyber.law.harvard.edu/node/98897">https://cyber.law.harvard.edu/node/98897</a><br><br><div class="">
<h1>Student Case Study Writing Competition: Innovative Multistakeholder Governance Groups</h1>
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Deadline for Submissions: September 15th, 2015 </h2>
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July 21, 2015
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<p dir="ltr">The Berkman Center for Internet & Society is
excited to announce a writing competition to identify innovative
multistakeholder governance groups and help us understand the conditions
under which they are most effective. We are seeking original papers (8
to 12 pages, single spaced) that help us better understand innovative,
globally diverse governance groups. The top submissions will receive
cash stipends.</p>
<p>Although “multistakeholder governance” has many meanings, at its core
it encompasses a variety of decision-making approaches that incorporate
representatives from multiple groups in discussions and the formation
of outcomes. When we think of multistakeholder governance, ICANN and
NETmundial are some of the most prominent examples that come to mind.
But multistakeholder governance has a rich and complex history, with
many diverse and interesting examples within but also far beyond the
realm of Internet governance. This competition is an opportunity for
students and post-doctoral scholars to help expand our understanding of
multistakeholder governance groups and what we can learn from such
groups with respect to Internet governance.</p>
<p>The Berkman Center, in collaboration with the <a href="http://networkofcenters.net/">Global Network of Interdisciplinary Internet & Society Research Centers</a> (NoC), recently examined <a href="http://ssrn.com/abstract=2549270">twelve diverse examples</a> of
multistakeholder governance groups. Those included: the coordination
of slotting guidelines for busy airports, Bitcoin code development
processes, Creative Commons, anti-spam efforts in Brazil, the German
Enquete Commission on Internet and Digital Society, water resource
management in the White Volta River Basin, Internet exchange points,
Israel’s National Cyber Bureau, Marco Civil, NETmundial, Switzerland’s
coordinated deployment of fiber optic cable, and Turkey’s Internet
Improvement Board. </p>
<p>Through this writing competition, we are seeking submissions that
will add to this list and help us help us explore other globally diverse
and unique real-world examples. A sample case study (based on the NoC
case study about Switzerland’s fiber optic cable deployment) is
available for reference <a href="https://cyber.law.harvard.edu/sites/cyber.law.harvard.edu/files/Swiss%20ComCom_abridged.pdf">here [PDF]</a>.
From the submitted case studies, we will select the top three. First
place will receive a cash stipend of $4000; second place will receive
$3000; and third place will receive $2000. Additional awards for
honorable mention may be given at the discretion of the Berkman Center.
These cash stipends are made possible by a generous <a href="http://research.google.com/university/relations/research_awards.html">Google Research Grant</a> awarded
to the Berkman Center. In addition, the top case studies will be
published as part of a forthcoming Berkman Center report on
multistakeholder governance groups.</p>
<p><strong>Content Requirements:</strong><br>
Case studies must identify a single unique governance group and address the following questions:</p>
<ul><li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">How and why was the governance group formed? </p>
</li><li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">How does it operate? </p>
</li><li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">Who participated in the group and how? </p>
</li><li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">How did participation change over time? </p>
</li><li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">What challenges did the group face and how did it overcome them?</p>
</li><li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">What makes this group unique? </p>
</li><li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">What makes this group successful?</p>
</li></ul><p>The governance group does not have to relate to the Internet.
In fact, the more topically and geographically unique the case study,
the more helpful it will be. To this end, case studies should not
overlap with the existing case study research series.</p>
<ul><li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">Case studies may use interviews with participants. They
also should rely on peer-reviewed research sources or equivalent
scholarship (e.g., scholarly articles) or reputable news stories. The
papers must reflect that research accurately, and must appropriately
attribute and cite that research. </p>
</li></ul><p dir="ltr">Case studies must be new work, written by the student specifically for this competition.</p>
<ul><li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">Case studies must be in English, well written, and
accessible to both scholars and policy makers, in terms of language,
style, and length.</p>
</li><li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">The research can be from any one of a number of fields and
disciplines, including social science, natural science, health, or law.</p>
</li></ul><p dir="ltr"><strong>Length and Formatting requirements:</strong></p>
<ul><li>Case studies should be an appropriate length for the given
audience and goal. Most papers should be 8 to 12 pages, single spaced.
A sample case study is <a href="https://cyber.law.harvard.edu/sites/cyber.law.harvard.edu/files/Swiss%20ComCom_abridged.pdf">available here (PDF)</a> as an example of expectations with regard to style, structure, length, and format.</li><li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">Each case study must be submitted in Microsoft Word,
single-spaced 12-point Times New Roman font. Margins should be 1 inch at
the top and bottom of the page and 1 ¼ inch from the left and right
hand sides of the page.</p>
</li><li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">Papers should include the author’s name, university affiliation, and contact information.</p>
</li></ul><p dir="ltr"><strong>What to Submit and Deadline</strong>: <br>
Students should submit the following to <a href="mailto:apruitt@cyber.law.harvard.edu">apruitt@cyber.law.harvard.edu</a> no later than September 15, 2015:</p>
<p dir="ltr">The case study<br>
The student’s CV</p>
<p><strong>Review Criteria</strong>:<br>
Case studies will be assessed on the following criteria:</p>
<ul><li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">How the case study would contribute to a growing catalog of innovative multistakeholder governance groups</p>
</li><li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">How complementary it is to the <a href="http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2549270">previous NoC case studies</a></p>
</li><li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">Whether it represents a geographically unique example</p>
</li><li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">The quality of the analysis, writing, and research</p>
</li><li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">The completeness of the case study and its research</p>
</li><li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">How it advances our understanding about the role of multistakeholder governance groups</p>
</li></ul><p>Case studies will be reviewed by experts in the field from the Berkman Center.</p>
<p><strong>Acceptance Process</strong>: The Berkman Center will inform
students in October 2015 whether or not their case study has won a
prize. If a paper is selected for inclusion with the Berkman Center’s
research, the Center may provide the student with editing suggestions or
requirements.</p>
<p><strong>Prize Payment: </strong>The Berkman Center will provide a stipend to the students selected for the best submissions, subject to applicable law.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>Publication</strong>: Papers selected for inclusion
with the Berkman Center’s research will be published on Berkman
Center’s website, the Network of Center’s <a href="https://noc.publixphere.net">Publixphere Page</a>, and uploaded to the Working Paper Series on SSRN. </p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>Eligibility: </strong>Case studies must be written
by students, over the age of 18, currently pursuing a post-secondary
degree (e.g., bachelor’s, master’s, or PhD, post-doctoral research).
Students from outside the United States are strongly encouraged to
apply.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>Copyright</strong>: Winning submissions will be licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License</a>. Authors retain ownership of their submissions, and Berkman’s use of the works will be fully attributed to the authors.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>Reservation of Rights</strong>: At all steps during
this process and at all times, the Berkman Center retains the sole
right to decide whether or not to accept papers, publish papers, and/or
remove papers from publication. </p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>Additional Information About The Berkman Center’s Internet Governance Research:</strong><br>
Internet governance is an increasingly complex concept that operates at
multiple levels and in different dimensions, making it necessary to have
a better understanding of both how multistakeholder governance groups
operate and how they best achieve their goals. With this need in mind,
at a point where the future of Internet governance is being
re-envisioned, the Berkman Center worked with colleagues from several<a href="http://networkofcenters.net/centers"> NoC institutions</a> around the world to research and write twelve<a href="https://publixphere.net/i/noc/page/Internet_Governance_Research_Project_Case_Studies"> case studies</a> examining
a geographically and topically diverse set of local, national, and
international governance models, components, and mechanisms from within
and outside of the sphere of Internet governance. Key findings from
these cases were summarized in a<a href="https://publixphere.net/i/noc/page/Internet_Governance_Research_Project_Synthesis"> synthesis paper</a> published
in January 2015, which aims to deepen our understanding of the
formation, operation, and critical success factors of governance groups
and even challenge conventional thinking.</p>
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</div><br clear="all"><div><div class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr">Glenn McKnight<br><a href="mailto:mcknight.glenn@gmail.com" target="_blank">mcknight.glenn@gmail.com</a><br>skype gmcknight<br>twitter gmcknight<br>.</div></div></div>
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