Platforms and the Digital Economy: Empirical Analysis Using Novel Data Sources 2400-EN3SL312A
The aim of the seminar is to support the development of bachelor’s theses based on modern data sources and employing quantitative methods — such as econometrics, machine learning, or natural language processing — to analyze topics related to the broadly defined digital economy. Throughout the seminar, key research areas will be discussed, including: digital platforms and e-commerce, urban challenges, real estate markets, short-term rentals, the sharing economy, social media, and the cryptocurrency market. Potential data sources and methods for acquiring and analyzing them will also be introduced.
Participants will become familiar with the fundamentals of academic research, including how to select relevant literature, conduct literature reviews, ensure the reproducibility of results, and write clear and rigorous academic texts.
Theses may be written in English and structured in the form of a research article.
Potential Research Areas:
Spatial analysis of services provided by digital platforms
E-commerce platforms
Short-term rental market
Sharing economy
Food delivery sector and restaurants
Real estate markets
Urban mobility, micromobility, and city services
Text analysis from social media and online portals
Cryptocurrency market
Type of course
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
KNOWLEDGE
The student understands the fundamentals of sound academic work, including the principles of reproducibility, literature selection, and the structure of a scientific text.
SKILLS
The student is able to independently prepare a dataset for empirical research.
The student is familiar with and can effectively use major academic literature databases (e.g., Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar).
The student can independently prepare a literature review, including critical analysis of sources.
SOCIAL COMPETENCES
The student understands the ethical principles of data collection, particularly when using methods such as web scraping.
The student can present the results of their research and formulate and justify conclusions based on data analysis.
Assessment criteria
Semester I – based on an extended thesis proposal
Semester II – based on the completed bachelor’s thesis
Bibliography
The selection of scientific articles depends on the chosen research topic.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: