Cogovernance

Cogovernance refers to governance arrangements in which authority and decision-making are shared among multiple actors, rather than controlled by a single government agency or actor. It encompasses formal legal arrangements and informal practices, and involves government agencies, private firms, civil society, local communities, and international organizations. The objective is to align incentives, pool knowledge, and enhance legitimacy and effectiveness of policies and resource management.

Common forms include co-management of natural resources (for example fisheries and forests), multi-stakeholder platforms, participatory budgeting and citizen assemblies, public-private partnerships, and data or platform governance arrangements where users, firms, and regulators jointly set rules. In digital, data, and platform governance, cogovernance involves rules that are negotiated among platforms, users, and government bodies, while in environmental contexts it determines access, use rights, and conservation measures. Sectors such as urban planning and climate policy have used cogovernance to bridge expertise and legitimacy.

Benefits include increased legitimacy, better integration of scientific and local knowledge, adaptability in the face of uncertainty, and distributed risk. Challenges include power imbalances among actors, accountability fragmentation, higher transaction and coordination costs, legal uncertainty, and potential for slower decision-making or conflict.

Examples exist in fisheries and forest management in various countries, city-level participatory budgeting initiatives, and pilot co-governance arrangements for data and AI policy. See also co-management, participatory governance, and multi-stakeholder governance.