Governing the Physical Internet: Insights from Internet Governance and Future Research Directions
Author(s)
Spanuth, Malte
Franklin, Rod
Ludwig, André
Niemann, Gero
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Abstract
Despite growing technical maturity, implementation of the Physical Internet remains limited. A key reason is that while operational mechanisms such as routing protocols and modular containers are well-researched, governance remains insufficiently addressed. This study explores how governance structures for the Physical Internet can be conceptualized, drawing on lessons from Physical Internet, horizontal logistics collaboration, and the evolution of governance in the Digital Internet. We conduct a systematic literature review and identify a gap in the consideration of collective-choice and constitutional governance, including rulemaking, stakeholder participation, and conflict resolution. To address this, we propose a conceptual framework grounded in Ostrom’s Institutional Analysis and Development framework and inspired by the decentralized governance trajectory of the Digital Internet. The governance framework distinguishes between operational, collective-choice, and constitutional rule levels, offering a structure for coordinating logistics actors without centralized control supporting aligned operations for service providers and adaptive rulemaking for policymakers.
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Date
2025-06
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Text
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Proceedings
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