Title : Digital commons and public health: A necessary approach?
Abstract:
The governance of intangible resources in public health requires the integration of discussions on Digital Commons (DC). As digital health data are shareable and of interest to various stakeholders, DC governance strategies are essential for advancing science, sustaining public health systems, and promoting health equity, aiming to maximize benefits within collaborative networks. This research aims to verify whether DC can be considered “common goods” according to Elinor Ostrom’s classical principles and to analyze their contribution to the governance of digital public health. This is an integrative review based on a structured search in the Semantic Scholar database, focusing on studies that analyze whether Digital Commons can be considered common goods according to Ostrom’s principles, and how they contribute to digital public health governance. Ten articles addressing governance, technological innovation, and conceptual and empirical aspects of DC were selected. Data extracted covered theoretical frameworks, alignment with Ostrom’s principles, examples of application in health, technological mechanisms, and management challenges, and were synthesized by thematic analysis. The ten selected articles showed that DC are aligned with Ostrom’s eight principles defined boundaries, context-adapted rules, collective participation, monitoring, graduated sanctions, conflict resolution, self-organization, and multi-level organization through necessary adaptations to the complexity of the digital public health context. Furthermore, DC contribute to digital health governance by promoting integration, transparency, and participation in information systems, fostering interoperability between platforms, data protection, and open access to knowledge, as well as stimulating the engagement of multiple stakeholders, although access and capacity-building challenges persist. It is concluded that DC can be considered digital common goods in light of Ostrom’s principles, being strategically relevant for innovation, the democratization of information, and the sustainability of public health systems. Therefore, public policies should encourage the adoption of digital governance strategies based on collaborative and inclusive principles to strengthen equity and innovation in public health.
