Open computing systems, from sensor networks to Smart-Grids, face the same challenge: a set of autonomous, heterogenous agents, needing to collectivise and distribute resources without a centralised decision-making authority. One possible solution is to collectively agree a set of rules for resource provision and appropriation, but there remains the concern that the outcomes of the rules do not distribute the resources 'fairly'.

In this talk, we present how a formal representation of Nicholas Rescher's theory of distributive justice can be embedded in the context of a logical axiomatisation (in the Event Calculus) of Elinor Ostrom's institutional design principles for sustainable resource management. This enables the autonomous computing components of an open system (ie, agents) to self-organise a distribution of resources (in the context of an economy of scarcity) such that it was fair over time. That is, while at any one time-point the resource allocation might be very unfair (using a well-known and often-used fairness metric, the Gini index), a group could nonetheless achieve allocations that were very fair over a series of time-points.

We conclude the talk with a discussion of several directions for further research stemming from this work, especially as it can be applied to socio-technical systems like smart grids: computational justice, collective awareness, algorithmic self-governance, design contractualism and social capital.