Abstract The emergence of quantum information technologies with potential application across diverse industrial, consumer and technical domains has thrown into relief the need for practical approaches to their governance. Technology governance must balance multiple objectives including facilitating technological development while meeting legal requirements, normative expectations and managing risks regarding the use of such technology. In this paper, we articulate a variety of idealised governance models and approaches for synthesising these complementary and sometimes competing objectives. We set out a comparative analysis of quantum governance in the context of existing models of technological governance. Using this approach, we develop an actor-instrument model for quantum governance, denoted the ‘quantum governance stack’, across a governance hierarchy from states and governments through to public and private institutions. Our model sets out key characteristics that quantum governance should exhibit at each level in the stack, including identification of stakeholder rights, interests and obligations impacted by quantum technologies and the appropriate instruments by which such impacts are managed. We argue that quantum governance must be responsive based on (a) the state of technology at the time; (b) resource and economic requirements for its development; and (c) assessments and estimates of the near-term and future impacts of such technology. Our work provides a pragmatic introduction to quantum governance by (a) specifying a taxonomy of governance actors and instruments and (b) providing examples of how different stakeholders within the stack might implement governance responses to quantum information technologies. It is intended for use by stakeholders in government, industry, academia and civil society to help inform their governance response to the quantum technology revolution.
Abstract The emergence of quantum information technologies with potential application across diverse industrial, consumer and technical domains has thrown into relief the need for practical approaches to their governance. Technology governance must balance multiple objectives including facilitating technological development while meeting legal requirements, normative expectations and managing risks regarding the use of such technology. In this paper, we articulate a variety of idealised governance models and approaches for synthesising these complementary and sometimes competing objectives. We set out a comparative analysis of quantum governance in the context of existing models of technological governance. Using this approach, we develop an actor-instrument model for quantum governance, denoted the ‘quantum governance stack’, across a governance hierarchy from states and governments through to public and private institutions. Our model sets out key characteristics that quantum governance should exhibit at each level in the stack, including identification of stakeholder rights, interests and obligations impacted by quantum technologies and the appropriate instruments by which such impacts are managed. We argue that quantum governance must be responsive based on (a) the state of technology at the time; (b) resource and economic requirements for its development; and (c) assessments and estimates of the near-term and future impacts of such technology. Our work provides a pragmatic introduction to quantum governance by (a) specifying a taxonomy of governance actors and instruments and (b) providing examples of how different stakeholders within the stack might implement governance responses to quantum information technologies. It is intended for use by stakeholders in government, industry, academia and civil society to help inform their governance response to the quantum technology revolution.
Quantum information technology (QIT) encompasses a collection of emerging innovations-quantum computing, quantum communication, and quantum sensing-that leverage unique properties of quantum systems, such as entanglement, superposition, and quantization, in order to process information in ways that are either classically impossible or infeasible. While QIT remains in relative infancy, its potential for unprecedented computational speedups, security of communication, and ultra-precise measurement foreshadows its impacts and risks across economic, strategic, and societal domains. We situate QIT within both its historical and technological context, focusing on the question of what is sui generis or unique about QIT with respect to both technical detail and governance imperatives. We identify how the unique ontological properties of quantum systems may raise novel legal conceptual dilemmas and propose a governance-stack model that aligns potential regulatory instruments with specific layers of the QIT technical stack, enabling precise risk assessment and stakeholder-focused regulation. By adopting an information-theoretic lens, we analyze how QIT's novel affordances-ranging from decryption of classical encryption to ultra-precise sensing-may potentially impact legal domains. Our contribution aims to lay a foundation for understanding QIT's legal implications, offering a framework to navigate its opportunities and risks.
Quantum technologies are increasingly moving from specialist laboratories into the strategic agenda of governments, industries, and international organisations. Quantum computing, quantum communication, and quantum sensing are expected to reshape cybersecurity, scientific discovery, industrial productivity, public infrastructure, and national competitiveness. Yet the same technologies also raise complex governance challenges, including cryptographic vulnerability, dual-use risks, technological inequality, workforce shortages, procurement uncertainty, and the concentration of innovation capacity in a small number of advanced economies. This article develops an adaptive public administration framework for responsible quantum technology governance. Using qualitative document-based policy analysis, the study examines international policy documents, responsible innovation literature, quantum technology roadmaps, post-quantum cryptography guidance, and emerging governance principles. The article argues that quantum technologies should not be governed only as technical artefacts or national security assets, but also as public policy objects whose societal consequences require anticipatory, inclusive, and institutionally coordinated governance. The proposed Quantum Public Administration Governance Framework consists of five interrelated dimensions: foresight and anticipatory intelligence, cybersecurity and cryptographic readiness, institutional coordination, responsible innovation and public value, and equity-oriented capacity building. The findings suggest that public administrations need to build quantum literacy, establish cross-sector coordination mechanisms, prepare digital infrastructure for post-quantum risks, support ethical and socially beneficial innovation, and prevent the emergence of a global and domestic quantum divide. The article contributes to public administration scholarship by translating the technical uncertainty of quantum technologies into a governance agenda that is relevant for policy makers, public managers, and emerging economies seeking to participate responsibly in the second quantum revolution.
This chapter offers an overview of Quantum Technology Governance : Law & Regulation , highlighting the foundational role of quantum information technology (QIT) and the legal, regulatory, and geopolitical considerations arising from its recent advancements. It maps how quantum computing, communication, and sensing intersect with established legal and governance frameworks across intellectual property, cybersecurity, export controls, and international law. The chapter introduces a progressive analytical structure that begins with QIT’s ontological and governance foundations before turning to domain-specific regulatory considerations and global strategic implications. It synthesizes key themes developed throughout the volume, including adaptive legal interpretation; layered governance mechanisms such as the governance-stack model; mixed intellectual property strategies combining patents, trade secrets, and open innovation; empirical patent trends; EU and US approaches to quantum-enabled cybersecurity risks; the evolution of export control architectures; and the application of effects-based norms in public international law. Across these domains, the chapter identifies a recurring theme of regulatory adaptability. Although QIT introduces non-classical features that stress-test existing legal and policy systems, we argue that many challenges can be met through interpretive flexibility, evidence-based policymaking, and technology governance rather than wholesale doctrinal reform. By integrating legal analysis, empirical insights, and international governance perspectives, the chapter provides policymakers, technologists, scholars, and practitioners with a roadmap for responsible quantum governance as technologies transition from theoretical potential to practical deployment.
Quantum technologies are rapidly emerging as a transformative force with profound implications for critical infrastructures, national security, and global governance. Quantum computing, quantum communications, and quantum sensing promise unprecedented advances in data processing, secure communications, and environmental and infrastructure monitoring. At the same time, their disruptive potential introduces new ethical, security, and geopolitical risks, particularly for systems that underpin modern societies such as energy networks, telecommunications, finance, transportation, and defence infrastructures. This paper examines the governance of quantum technologies for critical infrastructures, moving from ethical impact assessment to the formulation of coherent national strategies. The study argues that the unique characteristics of quantum technologies — including their high degree of complexity, dual-use nature, and capacity to undermine existing cryptographic and security frameworks — require a shift from reactive regulation to anticipatory and responsible governance. Traditional regulatory approaches are insufficient to address the speed, uncertainty, and strategic relevance of quantum innovation. Instead, the paper emphasizes the need to integrate ethical impact assessment, risk analysis, and societal considerations at the earliest stages of research, development, and deployment. Ethical governance is presented not as a constraint on innovation, but as a foundational element for ensuring trust, resilience, and long-term sustainability. The analysis situates quantum governance within a broader geopolitical context, highlighting how major global actors are investing in quantum capabilities as strategic assets. This competition increases the urgency for coordinated governance frameworks that balance technological sovereignty, security, and international cooperation. Particular attention is given to the protection of critical infrastructures and the transition towards quantum-safe systems, especially in the field of cybersecurity and secure communications. Finally, the paper outlines the implications for national and European strategies, stressing the importance of multi-level governance involving governments, international organisations, industry, and research institutions. It concludes that only a holistic approach — combining ethical foresight, anticipatory governance, and strategic planning — can ensure that quantum technologies enhance societal resilience and security rather than exacerbate systemic vulnerabilities. In this sense, quantum governance becomes a central component of future national strategies for critical infrastructure protection and technological leadership.
Quantum technologies enable potential disruptive changes by means of quantum computing, quantum communication and cryptography, and quantum sensing for both the civil and the defence domain. Quantum technologies offer potentially enhanced capabilities for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance as well as critical advancements in information security and cryptography. This paper provides decision makers with an overview of the different quantum technology fields and main application areas. Since quantum technology has by its nature a strong dual-use character, potential use cases for the defence sector are highlighted. The level of maturity of quantum technologies in the various fields is discussed and recommendations for next steps are derived for stakeholders to shape further quantum technology development. In order to understand potential risks and ethics considerations, it is of fundamental importance to complement the R&D activities with a sound global multi-stakeholder dialogue. Thus, this paper discusses the essential factors for the design of effective governance rules and summarises recommended measures to develop and operate quantum technology-based solutions in a responsible ethical framework in the civil as well as in the defence domain following digital humanism objectives.
The second quantum revolution is a revolution of information. Advances in quantum computation, communication, and sensing offer new capabilities while raising questions about how quantum infrastructures will be organised, accessed, and governed. We argue that their significance for governance lies not in transforming political principles, but in how their technical and infrastructural requirements may affect existing relationships of authority, responsibility, legitimacy, and power. This paper develops a quantum governance lens that connects governance scholarship with quantum information science, examining interactions between technical design, institutional arrangements, and infrastructural dependencies. We apply this lens to five areas: quantum computation, quantum key distribution, Quantum Byzantine Agreement, blind quantum computation, and dual-use quantum sensing. These applications illustrate how technical capabilities may influence access, trust, privacy, oversight, and accountability, while demonstrating that technical guarantees cannot resolve institutional questions independently. We conclude that quantum technologies do not necessarily introduce unique governance challenges or require entirely new governance frameworks. Rather, they provide a context in which established questions of legitimacy, accountability, and equity must be reconsidered in relation to emerging technological capabilities and institutional choices.