The adoption of digital commons in platform cooperative governance mechanisms

This study examines how cooperative platforms governance arrangements adhere to the principles and practices of the commons theory and open cooperative movement. The result reveal that while cooperative platforms tend to hold values consistent with the commons theory, their governance arrangements may vary and depend on the context in which they operate. The research found a duality in terms of governance structures, with some emphasizing democratic decision-making and share-based ownership, while others employed sociocratic approaches and alternative ownership structures. The level of flexibility and autonomy in terms of contribution and participation also varied. These differences were partially due to the type of cooperative and its purpose, whether it was to provide fair pay or to offer commons-based alternatives. Views on openness also differed, with some embracing open systems while others were more hesitant. The latter often attributed this to their proprietary operating environment. The conclusion that can be drawn is that cooperative platforms exhibit diverse narratives on how to organize, reflecting the complexity of their operations, which aligns with the complexity and contradictions often observed in the commons theory.