New policy framework for digital platforms

The rise of digital platforms is an unstoppable trend and a source of innovation in the economy and society. Digital platforms are increasingly playing an important role in bringing supply and demand together. This creates opportunities for both businesses and citizens. It is easier, for example, for a business to offer products to millions of potential customers via a digital platform such as Marktplaats or Bol.com. Digital platforms also create new markets and they change the dynamics in existing markets. Consumers benefit from this: as a result of the increasing competition and transparency, they gain access to a larger and more varied range of products, at more competitive prices and better quality.

Spring up from digital platforms, the collaborative economy, also known as the sharing economy, has experienced rapid development and growth in recent years. Studies have shown the substantial potential of the collaborative economy – according to PwC, five collaborative economy sectors worth EUR 13 billion globally in 2014 could be worth EUR 300 billion by 2025. Consumer behaviour is also changing – a study by Nielsen has demonstrated that two thirds of adults are willing to share products in exchange for money.

The attached TNO report provides an analytical framework to analyse policy options regarding digital platforms. At the request of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, a project consortium of TNO, Ecorys and IViR have developed a framework to analyse policy questions regarding ‘digital platforms’. This framework enables the government to take advantage of the opportunities these platforms offer and to appreciate and mitigate potential risks related to these platforms.