IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/teinso/v74y2023ics0160791x23000714.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Rightful resistance: How do digital platforms achieve policy change?

Author

Listed:
  • Wen, Yuni

Abstract

Many digital platforms have disrupted not only the market but also public policies. Platform companies have been shown to employ various political strategies such as lobbying and petitions to change restrictive policies. However, previous literature has failed to consider the unique nature of digital platforms, which involve actors across multiple sides of the platform, and its influence on platforms companies’ political tactics. This paper aims to address how the multi-sided nature of digital platforms impacts the way they achieve policy change. This paper conducts a case study of how Chinese ride-hailing companies facilitated the enactment of a new, favourable national policy in 2016. Drawing on the literature of contentious politics, it finds that policy change can be achieved via rightful resistance, through which digital platforms leverage divisions within the multi-sided digital platform and within the government to push the frontiers of what is politically permitted. In the context of digital platforms, rightful resistance means (1) seeking support from powerful third parties, (2) using the rhetoric of the central policies, and (3) co-opting the incumbents.

Suggested Citation

  • Wen, Yuni, 2023. "Rightful resistance: How do digital platforms achieve policy change?," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:teinso:v:74:y:2023:i:c:s0160791x23000714
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2023.102266
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160791X23000714
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.techsoc.2023.102266?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Annabelle Gawer, 2009. "Platforms, Markets and Innovation: An Introduction," Chapters, in: Annabelle Gawer (ed.), Platforms, Markets and Innovation, chapter 1, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    2. Cartwright, Madison, 2021. "Historical institutionalism and technological change: the case of Uber," Business and Politics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 23(1), pages 67-90, March.
    3. Hopster, Jeroen, 2021. "What are socially disruptive technologies?," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    4. Panos Constantinides & Ola Henfridsson & Geoffrey G. Parker, 2018. "Introduction—Platforms and Infrastructures in the Digital Age," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 29(2), pages 381-400, June.
    5. Watanabe, Chihiro & Naveed, Kashif & Neittaanmäki, Pekka & Fox, Brenda, 2017. "Consolidated challenge to social demand for resilient platforms - Lessons from Uber's global expansion," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 33-53.
    6. Maha Rafi Atal, 2020. "The Janus faces of Silicon Valley," Review of International Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(2), pages 336-350, October.
    7. Martin, Chris J., 2016. "The sharing economy: A pathway to sustainability or a nightmarish form of neoliberal capitalism?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 149-159.
    8. David P. Baron, 2018. "Disruptive Entrepreneurship and Dual Purpose Strategies: The Case of Uber," Strategy Science, INFORMS, vol. 3(2), pages 439-462, June.
    9. Klein, Amarolinda & Sørensen, Carsten & Freitas, Angilberto Sabino de & Pedron, Cristiane Drebes & Elaluf-Calderwood, Silvia, 2020. "Understanding controversies in digital platform innovation processes: The Google Glass case," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    10. Annabelle Gawer & Rebecca Henderson, 2007. "Platform Owner Entry and Innovation in Complementary Markets: Evidence from Intel," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 16(1), pages 1-34, March.
    11. Michael G. Jacobides & Carmelo Cennamo & Annabelle Gawer, 2018. "Towards a theory of ecosystems," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(8), pages 2255-2276, August.
    12. Yongwook Paik & Sukhun Kang & Robert Seamans, 2019. "Entrepreneurship, innovation, and political competition: How the public sector helps the sharing economy create value," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(4), pages 503-532, April.
    13. Eaton, Ben & Elaluf-Calderwood, Silvia & Sorensen, Carsten & Yoo, Youngjin, 2015. "Distributed tuning of boundary resources: the case of Apple's iOS service system," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 63272, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Aidin Salamzadeh & Léo-Paul Dana & Javad Ghaffari Feyzabadi & Morteza Hadizadeh & Haleh Eslahi Fatmesari, 2024. "Digital Technology as a Disentangling Force for Women Entrepreneurs," World, MDPI, vol. 5(2), pages 1-19, May.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Uzunca, Bilgehan & Sharapov, Dmitry & Tee, Richard, 2022. "Governance rigidity, industry evolution, and value capture in platform ecosystems," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(7).
    2. Joan Enric Ricart & Yuliya Snihur & Carlos Carrasco-Farré & Pascual Berrone, 2020. "Grassroots Resistance to Digital Platforms and Relational Business Model Design to Overcome It: A Conceptual Framework," Strategy Science, INFORMS, vol. 5(3), pages 271-291, September.
    3. Kapoor, Kawaljeet & Ziaee Bigdeli, Ali & Dwivedi, Yogesh K. & Schroeder, Andreas & Beltagui, Ahmad & Baines, Tim, 2021. "A socio-technical view of platform ecosystems: Systematic review and research agenda," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 94-108.
    4. Panos Constantinides & Ola Henfridsson & Geoffrey G. Parker, 2018. "Introduction—Platforms and Infrastructures in the Digital Age," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 29(2), pages 381-400, June.
    5. Lena Abou El-Komboz & Anna Kerkhof & Johannes Loh, 2023. "Platform Partnership Programs and Content Supply: Evidence from the YouTube “Adpocalypse”," CESifo Working Paper Series 10363, CESifo.
    6. Jabbour, Chady & Rey-Valette, Hélène & Maurel, Pierre & Salles, Jean-Michel, 2019. "Spatial data infrastructure management: A two-sided market approach for strategic reflections," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 69-82.
    7. Saadatmand, Fatemeh & Lindgren, Rikard & Schultze, Ulrike, 2019. "Configurations of platform organizations: Implications for complementor engagement," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(8), pages 1-1.
    8. Jovanovic, Marin & Sjödin, David & Parida, Vinit, 2022. "Co-evolution of platform architecture, platform services, and platform governance: Expanding the platform value of industrial digital platforms," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    9. Islam, Habib A. & Farrell, Matthew & Nair, Anil & Zhang, Jing, 2023. "Understanding transaction platform governance and conflicts: A configuration approach," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    10. Barbier, Raphaëlle & Ben Yahia, Skander & Lenfle, Sylvain & Weil, Benoit, 2024. "Data-push innovation beyond serendipity: The case of a digital platform making Earth Observation data fit into multiple use contexts," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    11. Fabian Schueler & Dimitri Petrik, 2022. "Objectives of platform research: A co-citation and systematic literature review analysis," Papers 2202.08822, arXiv.org.
    12. Manuel Sánchez-Pérez & Nuria Rueda-López & María Belén Marín-Carrillo & Eduardo Terán-Yépez, 2021. "Theoretical dilemmas, conceptual review and perspectives disclosure of the sharing economy: a qualitative analysis," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 15(7), pages 1849-1883, October.
    13. Maurer, Joshua D. & Creek, Steven A. & Allison, Thomas H. & Bendickson, Joshua S. & Sahaym, Arvin, 2023. "Affiliation rhetoric and digital orientation in crowdfunding appeals," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    14. Gawer, Annabelle, 2014. "Bridging differing perspectives on technological platforms: Toward an integrative framework," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(7), pages 1239-1249.
    15. Ke Ding & Jiutang Pan, 2014. "The shanzhai cell phone: platforms and small business dynamics," Chapters, in: Mariko Watanabe (ed.), The Disintegration of Production, chapter 4, pages 101-126, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    16. Frédéric Marty & Julien Pillot, 2019. "Cooperation, Dependence and Eviction - How Platform-To-Business Relationships in Mobile Telephony Ecosystems Should Be Addressed in A Competition Law Perspective?," CIRANO Working Papers 2019s-01, CIRANO.
    17. Nayeem Rahman & Rodrigo Rabetino & Arto Rajala & Jukka Partanen, 2021. "Ushering in a New Dawn: Demand-Side Local Flexibility Platform Governance and Design in the Finnish Energy Markets," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-23, July.
    18. Andreas Hein & Maximilian Schreieck & Tobias Riasanow & David Soto Setzke & Manuel Wiesche & Markus Böhm & Helmut Krcmar, 2020. "Digital platform ecosystems," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 30(1), pages 87-98, March.
    19. Castell, Carolin & Kiefer, Jasmin & Schubach, Sebastian & Schumann, Jan H. & Graf-Vlachy, Lorenz & König, Andreas, 2023. "Integrating digital platform dynamics into customer orientation research: A systematic review and research agenda," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    20. Kimmo Karhu & Robin Gustafsson & Kalle Lyytinen, 2018. "Exploiting and Defending Open Digital Platforms with Boundary Resources: Android’s Five Platform Forks," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 29(2), pages 479-497, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:teinso:v:74:y:2023:i:c:s0160791x23000714. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/technology-in-society .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.