Regulating Platform Power 2600-MSdz2RPPen
This course examines the challenges and opportunities of regulating online platforms, which are increasingly influential actors in the digital economy and society. The course will explore the concept of platform power, its sources, manifestations, and implications for competition, innovation and privacy. The course will also analyze the existing and proposed legal and regulatory frameworks for addressing platform power, such as competition law, economic regulation, data protection, and human rights law. The course will adopt a comparative and interdisciplinary perspective, drawing on examples and cases from different jurisdictions and sectors.
Course coordinators
Type of course
Mode
Learning outcomes
Course objectives: By the end of this course, students will be able to:
• Define and critically assess the concept of platform power and its dimensions
• Identify and evaluate the sources and drivers of platform power in the digital economy and society
• Analyze and compare the impacts and challenges of platform power for various stakeholders and interests
• Understand and apply the main legal and regulatory approaches and instruments for regulating platform power
• Develop and propose solutions and recommendations for addressing platform power in a balanced and effective manner
Assessment criteria
Course credit will consist of:
- attendance in class and active participation (50%)
- case study analysis (50%)
Practical placement
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Bibliography
Mandatory readings:
• A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace by John Perry Barlow
• L. Lessig "Code and other laws of cyberspace" (Chapter 1)
• Mazur, J., & Serafin, M. (2022). Stalling the State: How Digital Platforms Contribute to and Profit From Delays in the Enforcement and Adoption of Regulations. Comparative Political Studies, 56(1), 101-130.
• Jean-Charles Rochet, Jean Tirole, Platform Competition in Two-Sided Markets, Journal of the European Economic Association, Volume 1, Issue 4, 1 June 2003, Pages 990–1029 [fragments]
• Colomo PI, The New EU Competition Law (Hart Publishing 2023) [Chapter 8]
• Martínez AR, ‘The DMA’s Ithaca: Contestable and Fair Markets’ (2023) 46 World Competition Law and Economics Review
Additional readings:
• Cohen JE, Between Truth and Power (OUP 2019) [Chapter 6]
• Zuboff S, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism (Profile Books 2019) [Chapter 3 and 7]
• Yanis Varoufakis, Technofeudalism. What killed capitalism (Vintage 2024) [Chapter 3 and 4]
Bibliography can be updated during the course.
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Term 2026Z:
• A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace by John Perry Barlow |
Notes
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Term 2026Z:
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