I am a doctoral candidate currently looking to conduct research related to data elements, but I've encountered some difficulties in the process.
Firstly, regarding data elements, they are an emerging factor of production, distinct from other factors such as capital and labor.
One aspect is the virtual nature of data forms. Data represent an aggregation of economic activity information symbols within a certain time frame and scope. This collection of information is expressed in quantitative units and reflects people's economic activities and economic laws in a virtual form that is nonetheless real, revealing the intrinsic connections between various economic elements. Secondly, there is the universal functionality of data. The universality of data means that compared to other factors, data can reflect the overall situation of an industry or a specific field, holding general applicability within the same industry. Thirdly, there is the immediacy of data operations. Traditional market information is reflected through market fluctuations in the price mechanism, often with a lag, whereas the immediate provision of data significantly overcomes the traditional market's lag and the blindness in business operations, enhancing the planning and scientific nature of economic entities' decisions on the national economy. Fourthly, there is the shared use of data. Data resources break through industry-specific uses; cross-industry universality and sharing of data resources have become the norm. Fifthly, there is the externality of data usage. Just like many resources with unclear property rights definitions or weak exclusivity, data as a factor of production also has significant externalities.It is precisely because of these characteristics, which are different from other traditional factors of production, that using the existing 'theory of resource endowment' and 'theory of resource allocation efficiency' to study and explain data elements is not feasible. However, after reviewing related literature, I am still at a loss. Therefore, I would like to seek advice from fellow scholars on how I should proceed with further research.
