Governance & Virtual Worlds

Tens of millions of individuals around the world engage in virtual worlds. This research area looks at the issue of governance in the context of virtual worlds - from at least two dimensions.

First, we look at the governance structures, institutions, and processes within a virtual world: what are the rules that govern interactions inworld, how do these rules come about, and how are they enforced? Normatively we ask what rules ought to be governing virtual worlds, and why.

Second, we look at the governance contexts in which virtual worlds are being provided. As virtual world providers compete for users with each other, and across jurisdictions, regulatory dynamics among real world policy makers as well as virtual world providers ensue, providing us both with an intriguing and important real world experiment into regulatory interaction, as well as normatively challenging us to find regulatory approaches that are robust and effective.