Work in progress

What is the ideal model for state participation in the platform economy? In the literature, there are references to national models: "the Chinese model", and the "European model", but they have a monolithic view of digital policy. With Frederik Zuiderveen and Raphael Gellert, we offer a typology of alternative approaches to the current laissez-faire, based on a mix of values/policies that can (and have been) leveraged by societies that are questioning the boundaries of public and private in the platform economy

Which socioeconomic factors condition the geographical distribution of platform companies in Europe? With Igor Tupy, Leonardo Ribeiro, and Tulio Chiarini, we run a Neg-Bin model on more than 7.000 European platform companies. We found that regions with prominent universities, youthful populations, strong intellectual property protections, and tax advantages are positively correlated with the presence of platform companies. Conversely, traditional industrial regions are negatively correlated. 

How is platform data used as an evidence base in empirical research on the issues of digital labor platforms? The literature has mapped several issues in the relationship between social media platforms and researchers who seek platform data to generate research with relevant social impact. What has this relationship between academia and labor platforms been like? With Koen Frenken, Iryna Susha, and Jarno Hoekman, we collected a dataset of 400 empirical papers on digital labor platforms. We observed that researchers focus their attention on a few platforms and obtain data mostly through means not sanctioned (non-collaborative) by the platforms. Researchers who obtained data in collaboration with the platforms still have to deal with various forms of control that the platform maintains over the research.