> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://meet-coop-1.gitbook.io/handbook-trial/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://meet-coop-1.gitbook.io/handbook-trial/1-principles/commoning/a-governance-hybrid-contributing-in-commons.md).

# Contributing in commons - A governance hybrid

An approach to the governance of digital infrastructure has a number of obvious traditions that offer a framing of the challenge, and a less-familiar tradition, which we’re making central here.

An approach to the governance of digital infrastructure has a number of obvious traditions that offer a framing of the challenge:

* Free-libre peer-to-peer production of code - [classic FLOSS governance](/handbook-trial/1-principles/commoning/classic-floss-peer-to-peer-governance.md)
* Workers coops, consumer coops, multistakeholder coops - [classic coop governance](/handbook-trial/1-principles/commoning/classic-co-op-governance.md)
* ‘Roots’ movement organisations, citizens’ assemblies, rank-&-file labour-movement organisations, workers’ councils - [Assemblies](/handbook-trial/1-principles/commoning/assemblies-governance-in-roots-movement-organisations.md)

And a less-familiar tradition, which we’re making central here:

* [Full-range commoning](/handbook-trial/1-principles/commoning/full-range-commoning-the-contribution-of-care-work.md) - care work, articulation work, contribution

> Various pages in this section remain incomplete at this stage. But here is a **15min video** which sketches the four models of governance, to be considered in that section: [Governance & contribution in commons](https://de.meet.coop/playback/presentation/2.0/playback.html?meetingId=ff16731f1cbc3a25ea8332c15a0c65fb6e739b43-1636028334700) and here are [**the slides**](https://cloud.meet.coop/s/sGAfrdLbjZmJX65)**.** These can be used as a basic reference for this whole section. 
>
> Play the video (a BBB room recording) in Firefox or Chrome on a laptop or desktop.

Rather than something organised by ‘rules’, or as a matter of ‘decision making’ detached from everyday enactment of life and work, here we’re approaching governance as a matter **contributing**, practically and directly (by doing work of one kind or another), to the always-ongoing *shaping of practice* in commons, in all of its domains. Adopting **principles and protocols**, and mobilising them to frame practice, is important stuff (not the same as 'following rules'). So is making **commitments** - of materials, of labour, of the heart - that turn out to be strategic, with regard to the way in which *an infrastructure* for many, highly plural, distributed practices gets configured, and how mobilising of that infrastructure is to be *facilitated and encouraged* (not the same as 'decision making').

All four traditions above offer principles and protocols, and aesthetics of making commitments. But some kind of new and non-obvious hybrid is called for in the realm of digital infrastructure. ‘We’ (our species) hasn’t done this before, it’s (b)leading-edge.

In following topics we map the four traditions on to a basic schema of commoning, as follows:

![Contributing in commons - The need to evolve a hybrid tradition](https://781026599-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MbjRiwwKa0TXyi4B5WE%2F-Me1SQAIGU7etLWv1UU4%2F-MeBTtw_UJY--bZqjgeZ%2Fgoverning%20x4%20-%20aka%20contributing.jpeg?alt=media\&token=153d4cf7-4251-4dc3-a8c8-e99f8cf2ccdb)

We consider pros and cons of each model, and hunt for protocols that might be adopted for a commons of digital infrastructure.