Organizing public support for open digital infrastructure: Learnings from the sovereign tech agency

René Lührsen, Maximilian Heimstädt and Thomas Gegenhuber

No 381, Working Paper Forschungsförderung from Hans-Böckler-Stiftung, Düsseldorf

Abstract: Open digital infrastructure (ODI) forms the backbone of our interconnected society, yet it faces serious sustainability challenges. This report explores how public support can be organized, using Germany's Sovereign Tech Agency (STA) as a case study. It reflects on both the potential and the tensions of government involvement in decentralized ODI communities. Intermediaries like the STA can help cultivate a sovereign digital commons. In doing so, they can contribute to safeguarding the foundations for a pluralistic, democratic, and open digital society. A sovereign ODI ecosystem will be crucial in breaking the grip of Big Tech, laying the foundations for real alternatives and strengthening those that already exist.

Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:hbsfof:342447

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