Insegnamento a.a. 2025-2026

The course explores key issues in the governance of digital technologies from both legal and institutional perspectives. Topics include:

• The historical foundations of internet governance and multistakeholderism

• Public vs. private sector digital transformation

• Platform business models, infrastructure, and algorithmic power

• Regulation of online platforms and content governance

• Tech industry lobbying and regulatory influence

• Legal and ethical frameworks for AI governance

• Blockchain, decentralization, and DAO governance

• Community-based governance models in open-source and collaborative platforms

• Failures in public digital infrastructure and accountability mechanisms

Each topic is addressed through real-world case studies and supports the development of interdisciplinary skills in legal analysis, policy evaluation, and institutional design.

1. Knowledge and Understanding
   Students will be able to explain key concepts, models, and frameworks related to the governance and legal regulation of digital technologies in both public and private contexts.

2. Applied Knowledge and Analytical Skills
   Students will be able to critically analyze and compare governance structures and regulatory approaches through real-world case studies involving platforms, AI, and decentralized systems.

3. Legal and Policy Evaluation
   Students will be able to assess the effectiveness and limitations of existing legal and institutional responses to emerging digital technologies, including content moderation, data protection, and algorithmic accountability.

4. Communication and Argumentation
   Students will be able to construct clear, evidence-based arguments in written and oral formats on complex governance challenges, integrating technical, legal, and ethical dimensions.

5. Problem-Solving and Design of Interventions
   Students will be able to propose policy or governance solutions to digital technology-related problems, considering feasibility, legitimacy, and stakeholder dynamics.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. Asses complex digital governance challenges and turn  them into clear policy or legal interventions.

2. Design regulatory/governance framework to address growing technological challenges.

3. Evaluate stakeholder interests alligning competing demands in multi-party negotiations.

4. Draft concise policy briefs or legal memos for digital technologies.

5. Lead small-group projects,  to deliver evidence-based recommendations in interdisciplinary teams.

• Lectures
• Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
• Company visits
• Practical Exercises
• Individual works / Assignments
• Collaborative Works / Assignments
• Interaction/Gamification

Guest Speaker Talks (in class or at distance)

Guest experts from public institutions, tech firms, or regulatory bodies will be invited to share insights on real-world governance challenges, such as AI regulation, platform lobbying, or public sector digital transformation. Talks will be followed by Q&A sessions to encourage critical engagement.

Company Visits

Where possible, students will participate in guided visits (physical or virtual) to organizations involved in digital governance (e.g., regulatory agencies, platform companies, or civic tech initiatives) to observe governance structures and regulatory processes in action.

Practical Exercises

Students will engage in short, in-class simulations or problem-solving tasks (e.g., designing governance frameworks, mock regulatory assessments, or content moderation scenarios) to apply theoretical knowledge in practical contexts.

Individual Work / Assignments

Each student will complete short written memos and a final analytical or policy-oriented paper, requiring them to synthesize legal, policy, and governance perspectives on selected case studies or regulatory dilemmas.

Collaborative Work / Assignments

Students will work in small groups to analyze a real-world digital governance case (e.g., Uber regulation, Meta Oversight Board) and deliver a group presentation, fostering peer learning and teamwork.

Interaction / Gamification

Interactive tools (polling, debates, digital role-play) will be used to encourage participation and active learning. For example, students may role-play stakeholders in a regulatory negotiation over AI standards or simulate decision-making in decentralized governance environments.

The final grade for attending students is based on a combination of group work and a written exam, designed to assess both theoretical understanding and the ability to apply knowledge to real-world challenges.

a) Collaborative Policy Brief and Presentation – 40%
Students will work in small groups to prepare a policy brief addressing a governance or regulatory challenge covered in the course (e.g., AI regulation, platform oversight etc ). This assignment assesses students’ ability to apply course concepts, analyze stakeholder dynamics, and design plausible interventions.  Each group will also present their analysis in class, allowing instructors to evaluate students’ oral argumentation, clarity of thought, and engagement with peer feedback.

b) Final Written Exam – 60%
The final exam evaluates individual knowledge and understanding of course content, including theoretical models, legal frameworks, and case studies. It consists of multiple-choice questions and one long-form essay question. This format tests both factual knowledge and critical thinking, requiring students to integrate and apply concepts from lectures, readings, and in-class discussions.

Non-attending students are assessed through a comprehensive written examination, which accounts for 100% of the final grade.

The exam will include multiple-choice questions and long-answer questions. It is designed to assess students’ understanding of key concepts and legal-regulatory frameworks, as well as their ability to synthesize insights from assigned readings and lecture materials. While case studies are not tested directly in a factual format, they may inform the long-answer question to evaluate the student’s ability to apply knowledge to practical scenarios.

This method ensures that non-attending students are evaluated fairly and rigorously on their grasp of both the theoretical and applied dimensions of the course.

There is no required textbook for this course. All teaching materials -  academic readings, case studies, and multimedia content- will be made available to students via the university’s Blackboard platform or accessible through the library website. Students are therefore not expected to purchase any book in advance.

The full reading list will be communicated before the start of the course and organized by weekly topic. It will include scholarly articles, reports, and case studies from both academic and policy-oriented sources. Examples of readings include:

• Elton & Carey (2013), The Prehistory of the Internet – Oxford Handbook of Internet Studies

• Van Eeten & Mueller (2013), Where is the governance in Internet governance? – New Media & Society

• Lanzolla et al. (2020), Digital Transformation: What is New? – Academy of Management Discoveries

• Cennamo (2021), Competing in Digital Markets – Academy of Management Perspectives

• Rahman (2018), Regulating Informational Infrastructure – Georgetown Law and Technology Review

• Kellogg et al. (2020), Algorithms at Work – Academy of Management Annals

• Dafoe (2022), AI Governance – Oxford Handbook of AI Governance

• HBR Case Study: Independent Governance of Meta’s Social Spaces

• OECD (2025), A Mapping Tool for Digital Regulatory Frameworks

Multimedia content, including recorded talks, interviews, and policy explainers, will be integrated into weekly modules to support a more applied and accessible understanding of the material. All required resources will be clearly listed and regularly updated on Blackboard.