Very interesting question, to which I am happy to contribute a comprehensive source on a partial aspect, which however might help for methodological purpose.

It's Common Based Peer Production (CBPP) platforms, which are societally positive by design. The best known is Wikipedia, but an extensive and in depth inventory of them (300-500 cases studied) has been made by project P2Pvalue funded by the EU under programme H2020:

https://p2pvalue.eu/

You could ask the following researchgate member for further advice:

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Loretta_Anania

@Loretta_Anania

Thank you Renaud Di Francesco for your answer!

You are welcome Petter. There is also another sub-question which is not the platforms but the data sets consumed in the platforms. People tend to see implicitly all value in the platforms, and to overlook the actual value residing in the datasets.

It is commonly said that big data has value, and that data is the fuel of the current digital revolution, but most economists stop there and accept the statu quo price tag put on platforms (including their algorithms) and the forced zero price tag put on data sets (example of the data you give for free to fb, g, or other platforms).

My claim is that an economic analysis of big data which does the following is insufficient. To make this a symbolic scheme: (+, A, B) that is data A and B to add as A+B, all the money goes to +, and none to A or B, and taking this for granted is like the early capitalism where Value = Land + Kapital (:)) with Arbeit=0 or epsilon hence not important.

More analytically, and specifically I have written a book on the microeconomics of big data, looking specifically at the data sets priced non-zero...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Microeconomics-big-data-Commodities-Society-ebook/dp/B014N7I4SU/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1557244429&sr=1-1

I have also looked at Data Marketplaces:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Data-Economics-Towards-Market-Places-ebook/dp/B00QD7LMO2/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=di+francesco+data+market+places&qid=1557244559&s=digital-text&sr=1-1-spell

These two references may save you time if you want to discuss the Data Market Place aspects of platforms, and the microeconomics of fair (or not) computing

Thank you for these insights. Another issue I graple with is the difference between software platforms (as a digital good) compares to other digital and physical goods. I suppose the literature on Common Based Peer Production (CBPP) platforms may help in this direction, but is this literature primarily focusing on the making of thes platforms, the production of content on top of them or how they are used (as platforms) for innovation?

Hello Petter

In fact the CBPP is the digital facet of the Commons Economics.

Ref:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commons

The leading thinker is Elinor Ostrom, Nobel Prize winner.

Commons in Western Europe were these low value grounds, available to anyone for spare farming. It survived in USSR in a modified form: collectivist kholkoz farmers were granted a small private garden for their private farming, and surprisingly they had higher yield there...

Commons in the UK are now green spots in cities, where anything happens: from relaxing during daytime to being murdered at night time. The ground is opened unlike these otherwise very British walled gardens where no "commoner" enters, just the "landlords". You see, the feudal words still in use are very telling about a society and the origin of the concepts.

The commoners are a word used by the nobility to designate the poor people having to rely on the Commons to make a living (farming minimum food). The House of Commons (lower chamber of the Parliament) is opposed to the House of Lords.

Similarly one speaks of feudal computing...

You have to accept rules imposed to you, but are you really free when saying yes or no?

Hope this helps.

In short CBPP for digital, to compare with Commons Economics applied to fishing for a physical instance...

As for your question on software versus data, it is discussed from a microeconomics point of view in the references (books Amazon/Kindle Editions, search me as author... Or use links in earlier answer).

On CBPP Prof. Nielsen might see a comparative political analysis by Prof. [email protected]. With P2P Value I learned that the analysis of Digital Europe is a social process, goes deeper than 'platform economics'. Di Francesco mentions P2P website; esp. important are their sociological findings about what 'ticks' those 450 case studies of open source and open hardware 'peer' developer conmunities. As we move from a data economy, or software service economy, or AI and DLT economy (in near future) to microeconomics of digital value production, still don't agree on which KPIs are the meaningful ones.

@harald_steiger

Thanks Loretta, this is a comprehensive summary

Dear Prof. Nielsen!

You spotted a very exiting problem: Unfair competition and related misconduct on digital platforms. I would say BrightTALK - platform is an ongoing experiment in this regard. This company allows one to access it resources in many cases for free. At the same time there is a fierce competition with other similar platforms but I would say BrightTALK is a public good for now for researchers and practitioners at least to some extent:

1) Free of charge registration & access, please visit: https://www.brighttalk.com/join/

2) Research Communities: https://www.brighttalk.com/communities/research-and-development/

3) A forthcoming Summit: Accelerating Digital Transformation 2021, scheduled to take place on the 18 August 2021, please see details at:

https://www.brighttalk.com/summit/4865-accelerating-digital-transformation/

4) A recent webinar available on demand: Join Leighton James, et al. (2021).Harnessing the potential of Digital and Data, May 19, 2021, Details are available at:

https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/17330/484026?utm_campaign=channel-feed&utm_source=brighttalk-portal&utm_medium=web

5) A recent Elsevier webinar available on demand: Dr. Chirag Rabadia, et al. (2021). Empowering Engineering Education and Research in a Virtual World, May 18, 2021, Details are available at: https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/18191/488766

Yours sincerely, Bulcsu Szekely

Petter Nielsen Bulcsu Szekely Loretta Anania , many thanks for your insights.

Two recent developments can be noted, showing different approaches towards a similar recognition of Digital Platforms and infrastructure as goods of common interest for Society:

-the USA initiative on infrastructure, following the inaugural speech of President Biden on the need to develop infrastructure (as a public/common good)

Public role is recognised, an the common need is promoted, with consideration on the growth impact on the economy for any investment in the infrastructure [1]

-the EU interest on Data Sovereignty, which may not give answers yet, but emphasises the importance of infrastructure (and its digital aspects: digital infrastructure as such, and digital twin of physical infrastructure) [2]. Workshops are happening on the potential impact for AI linked to Data Sovereignty scenarios for the EU, and more general aspects of decision autonomy as in this activity reported by the European Parliament [3]

Ref:

[1] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-57604121

[2] https://eit.europa.eu/news-events/news/new-report-european-digital-infrastructure-and-data-sovereignty

[3] https://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/afet-webinar-on-achieving-strategic-sove/product-details/20210315WKS03361

https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Understanding+Digital+Platforms+as+Global+Public+Goods&hl=ar&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart#d=gs_qabs&u=%23p%3D8XhS47wrmY4J

Thank you for the inputs. We have recently published a conference paper where we try to expand on a definition of Digital Global Public Goods: Conference Paper Digital Global Public Goods

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342151172_Towards_a_Conceptual_Understanding_of_Digital_Global_Public_Goods_Platforms_for_Development

https://goexplorer.org/digital-platforms-as-global-public-goods/

As to the digital platforms some years back I have expressed my views in similar line which I submit herewith for your information .

This is my personal opinion