Introduction: power relations in the digital economy

Abstract

This special issue explores how power relations are shaping the digital economy. Rather than simply identifying areas needing regulation, we aim to understand the digital economy’s underlying dynamics and potential pathways towards transformation. A political economy analysis, focused on the dialectical interaction between actors with contradictory interests, can reveal the winners and losers in the digital economy and expose the underlying power structures that shape its development. The papers in this Special Issue explore how these power dynamics manifest across various spheres. The papers in the issue argue that the digital economy, far from being a neutral space, reinforces existing power imbalances, particularly between capital and labor, requiring a critical examination of its financial flows, regulatory frameworks, and distributional outcomes to understand its transformative potential. Ultimately, the special issue aims to inform strategies for building resistance that links struggles from below and regulation from above.