Quantum Technology Governance II: Frameworks, Standards and Ethics

This Open Access book is the second volume in a series on quantum technology governance. Volume II provides a systematic examination of governance frameworks, international standards, and ethical dimensions of quantum technologies. It offers a contribution to the ongoing discourse on quantum technology governance beyond law and regulation (considered in volume I). It is one of the first collections offering analyses to explore how quantum technology governance is shaped through international consensus standards-setting, frameworks, and normative principles that operate upstream of legislation and regulation, and can influence technological trajectories, interoperability, legitimacy, and trust. The contributions of the volume examine how developments in quantum computing and related applications reshape governance through layered interactions between technical architectures, consensus standards, institutional coordination, and ethical commitments. It highlights how international harmonized standards can function as de facto governance tools and how ethical considerations can be operationalized without technological exceptionalism, addressing questions of responsibility, fundamental rights, and societal impact. The volume aims to equip scholars, policymakers, standard-setters, and technologists with conceptual and analytical tools to navigate normative uncertainty, as well as manage governance systems across emerging quantum applications, including in high-stakes domains such as the life sciences. Overall, together with Volume I, the contributions aim to equip scholars, policymakers, and practitioners with insights to evaluate the interplay between technical design, regulation, standards, governance frameworks, and ethical considerations in the quantum era.