Mitigating opportunism in commons-based peer production: An integrated framework for ethical design architecture

Opportunism remains a central concern in the governance of collaborative systems, particularly within Commons-Based Peer Production (CBPP) where formal contracts and hierarchies are absent. Dominant theoretical approaches, especially Transaction Cost Theory (TCT), often treat opportunism as an inherent behavioral constant, overlooking how digital architectures condition ethical behavior. This study addresses this gap by introducing the Integrated Framework for Ethical Design Architecture (IFrEDA)—a novel, empirically grounded framework explaining how architectural, structural, and social mechanisms mitigate opportunism by design. Based on a cross-case analysis of 16 CBPP platforms and 30 interviews, the framework identifies key features—granularity, modularity, and transparency—that foster trust and cooperative engagement. However, the study reveals these mechanisms are 'double-edged': while they mitigate traditional opportunism, they can inadvertently trigger new vulnerabilities. Consequently, IFrEDA demonstrates that architectural design must be reinforced by supportive social norms to maintain resilient digital commons. Theoretically, the paper invites an evolution of TCT toward trust-based, digitally mediated governance. Practically, it offers actionable guidance for designing ethical platforms, with implications for open-source software, decentralized innovation, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) collaboration ecosystems. The findings contribute to IS research on platform governance, ethical system design, and the institutional logic of digital commons.