Re-thinking Academic Publishing: The Promise of Platform Cooperativism

This article argues that sustainable, equitable open-access publishing will not emerge from either for-profit or traditional not-for-profit models alone, because both frameworks remain exploitative in different ways. For-profit publishers extract monopoly rents from publicly funded research, while not-for-profit “Diamond OA” journals often rely on unremunerated academic labor framed as a “labour of love.” The authors propose platform cooperativism—democratically owned and governed digital platforms—as a third way that places scholars, editors, reviewers, and technologists in shared control of publishing infrastructure. By applying cooperative principles to academic platforms, the article envisions a future where knowledge producers have a direct say in platform design, profit distribution, and governance, while invisible contributions (peer review, copyediting, coding) are recognized and valued rather than extracted.

Key Points

• The “two exploitations” problem: For-profit publishing exploits research outputs for shareholder gain; not-for-profit Diamond OA exploits early-career scholars through unpaid labor disguised as vocational commitment.
• Platform cooperativism defined: Online platforms that are jointly owned and democratically controlled by their members to meet shared socio-economic needs, extending the cooperative tradition into digital infrastructure.
• Four core principles applied to academia:
  1. Broad-based ownership — Users, contributors, and workers share control over algorithms, data, production processes, and job structures.
  2. Democratic governance — “One member, one vote” replaces shareholder primacy, making the platform accountable to its most active participants rather than to financial investors.
  3. Co-design — All stakeholders (editors, authors, reviewers, developers, funders) participate in platform development, ensuring tools match actual scholarly needs rather than commercial imperatives.
  4. Open-source development and open data — Prevents the co-optation of “openness” by commercial analytics ventures and reshapes the definition of open access beyond mere article availability.
• Practical applications:
  • New publishing or pre-print platforms can invite contributors to become member-owners, distributing profits according to level of contribution (monetary or in-kind).
  • Governance bodies (Boards, Thematic Committees) can be structured to protect minority interests and equal representation.
  • Existing mission-driven platforms can pursue an “exit to community”—selling the company to its users rather than to a larger commercial player—thereby preserving trust and community-oriented values.
• Behavioral incentives: Platform cooperatives can reward ethical publishing choices (e.g., contributing to independent OA venues) rather than reinforcing the prestige economy of high-ranking commercial journals.
• Connection to SpiritWiki: The article supplies the governance theory that underpins the SpiritWiki’s stewardship model—namely, that knowledge infrastructure must be accountable to the community that produces and maintains it, not to external capital. Read Article