Bridging the implementation gap: governance, coordination, and the adoption of Persistent Identifiers in European research: Comparing centralized, decentralized, and collaborative approaches to Open Science policy

This comparative study examines Persistent Identifier (PID) implementation across three European countries: France, Spain, and the Netherlands. The aim of the study is to understand how governance structures influence Open Science policy adoption and implementation. France exemplifies centralized governance with ministerial direction and hard mandates; Spain represents decentralized governance with substantial regional autonomy; and the Netherlands demonstrates a hybrid model emphasizing collaborative stakeholder engagement. The analysis challenges the hypothesis that centralized systems achieve faster adoption while decentralized systems generate greater stakeholder buy-in. Results reveal that governance structures shape implementation pathways but do not determine outcomes. All three countries face similar coordination challenges despite divergent approaches. ORCID adoption proceeded more uniformly across countries than other PIDs, reflecting the importance of aligning policies with researcher incentives. The study highlights that successful implementation depends on stakeholder engagement, infrastructure coordination, and sustained commitment rather than governance structure alone. The findings suggest effective PID implementation requires moving beyond binary governance choices toward understanding how different contexts can cultivate success factors including clear benefits articulation, reduced adoption barriers, and appropriate coordination mechanisms.