# Do We Run How We Say We Run? Formalization and Practice of Governance in OSS Communities

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2309.14245 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.14245/

## Key facts

- Cited by 3 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 25 Sep 2023.

## Built on by (most cited first, 3 of 3)

- [Responsible AI in Open Ecosystems: Reconciling Innovation with Risk Assessment and Disclosure](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.19104/) (2024)
- [Patterns in the Transition From Founder-Leadership to Community Governance of Open Source](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.16295/) (2025)
- [A Human Behavioral Baseline for Collective Governance in Software Projects](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2510.08956/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Open Source Software (OSS) communities often resist regulation typical of traditional organizations. Yet formal governance systems are being increasingly adopted among communities, particularly through non-profit mentor foundations. Our study looks at the Apache Software Foundation Incubator program and 208 projects it supports. We assemble a scalable, semantic pipeline to discover and analyze the governance behavior of projects from their mailing lists. We then investigate the reception of formal policies among communities, through their own governance priorities and internalization of the policies. Our findings indicate that while communities observe formal requirements and policies as extensively as they are defined, their day-to-day governance focus does not dwell on topics that see most formal policy-making. Moreover formalization, be it dedicating governance focus or adopting policy, has limited association with project sustenance.