Conceptualization of Analytical Domains of Platform Governance Ecosystem

Document Type : Review Article

Authors

1 PhD Student of Public Policy, Faculty of Management and Strategic Planning, Imam Hossein University, Tehran, Iran.

2 Associate Professor of Public Policy, Faculty of Management and Strategic Planning, Imam Hossein University, Tehran, Iran.

10.22059/jppolicy.2024.98679

Abstract

This research aims to analyze and examine "platform governance" as a new human innovation in response to the complexities of public problems through a systematic review of relevant studies in this area. For this purpose, 67 articles that were most relevant to the keywords of the platform governance area were selected from all articles published in reputable international scientific databases from 2016 to 2023. Accordingly, public policy problems are inherently complex because they are undeniably related to the people. The expansion of information and communication technologies has led governments to consider taking advantage of these new capabilities, moving away from traditional single tools, moving towards multiple tools and more participatory tools, and finally using platform tools that are more compatible with the networked structure of modern societies. Based on the research findings, four interrelated actors can be identified in today's platform ecosystem: platform, platform owners, Platform users, and complementors. On the one hand, governments seek platforms as a tool for governance and administration, and on the other hand, these platforms are able to govern end-users in a new way based on their function and nature. That is, they are able to make decisions that threaten the public interest of societies; therefore, governments must adopt a type of governance in relation to platforms. Also, the new nature of platforms puts another group of actors at risk, which in the literature is referred to as complementors, and these individuals are responsible for supplying goods or services on the platform. How platform-owning companies deal with these individuals forms the basis of the fourth concept.

Keywords


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