Scenarios for Digital Platform Ecosystems

Abstract

This paper explores the role of digital platforms and their potential future developments. It makes three contributions. First, the concept of digital platform ecosystem is introduced instead of platform economy. The development of digital platforms depends on a number of political and social factors in addition to economic and technological drivers. Particularly, the role of governance and institutions is emphasized for structuring platform ecosystems. Second, the future of digital platform ecosystems is explored on the basis of scenario planning. This approach allows to consider alternative future trajectories rather than rely on extrapolation of current trends. Last but not least, paper discusses different scenarios developed by international and national organizations which highlight potential futures for digital platform ecosystems.