The ubiquitous process of digitization changes economic competition on markets in several ways and leads to the emergence of new business models. The increasing roles of digital platforms as well as data-driven markets represent two relevant examples. These developments challenge competition...

Purpose - this paper aims to analyse the business efficiency of the Alibaba platform at the beginning and during the COVID-19 crisis. Methodology/Design - The research is based on the official financial reports of the platform as well as on the reports of other specialized agencies that monitor...

This report provides an overview of the relevant economic research literature on platforms or multi-sided online markets. It discusses platforms from a regulatory policy angle, including potential market failures in platforms, the extent of self-regulation and possible regulatory responses...

This chapter summarizes the fundamental questions underlying the economics of privacy. It highlights the tension between the multifaceted concept of privacy as commonly used in policy debates and its conceptualization as part of a utility function. The chapter then sets out new challenges for...

Online privacy, child safety, free speech and anonymity are on a collision course. The 1998 Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) already mandates certain online privacy protections for children under 13, but many advocate expanding online privacy protections for both adolescents and...

A large share of the ads displayed by digital publishers (e.g., newspapers and blogs) are sold via intermediaries (e.g., Google), that have large market power and reportedly allocate the ads in an opaque way. We study the incentives of an intermediary to disclose consumer information to...