The Quantum Principle of Public Policy

Anirban Chakraborti, Emmanuel Haven, Sudip Patra +1 more

Emely Wiegand

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.

Kay‐Yut Chen, Tad Hogg, Raymond G. Beausoleil

Kim Moloney, Saif M. Al-Kuwari

Abstract Quantum computing has migrated from the desks of theoretical physicists to its operationalization by engineers and scientists. After briefly noting the limited quantum discussions in disciplinary journals specific to public policy, we review the nature of quantum mechanics for a social science audience. We separate the public policy challenges of quantum computers into two categories: its cybersecurity and national security concerns and its concerns for other sectors of public policy. This includes our identification of quantum computers as a wicked and largely unstructured policy problem. This leads to our focus on how the quantum era currently interacts with the agenda-setting and policy formulation steps of the policy cycle. The article concludes by noting potential theoretical implications along with four risks of the quantum computing era for policymakers.

Fadi Farra, Christopher A. Pissarides

Christian Aspalter