Responsible Platform Economy and Law (5cr)

Objective

The aim of the course is to encourage our students to interrogate the responsibilities embedded in the current forms of platform economy and the role that law and regulation play in building responsible platform-driven trade. After taking the course, the students recognise the varieties of platform economy and identify the typical societal issues and challenges related to platformisation. The students can independently approach the concept of responsibility with a multidisciplinary perspective and tools and examine the responsibilisation of platform economy stakeholders. The students will acquire skills to combine law with perspectives from other disciplines and learn to utilise sources from various research fields when conducting legal analysis.

Content

The course comprises perspectives from several disciplines, including law and regulation, cyber/digital security, corporate social responsibility, and social license to operate, to responsibility and responsibilisation in platform-driven trade and other value creation. Digitalisation generates new business models and social and economic practices that transform the ways in which we interact with each other. Moreover, it requires that societal structures, such as regulation, become adjusted to these transformations. Digital platforms have a great potential to generate economic growth, facilitate innovations, create new employment and business opportunities, increase competition, and enhance societal participation. However, platform economy blurs the established demarcation between a trader and a consumer and the laws regulating traditional production and supply may not suit to regulating these novel forms of social and economic interaction. The situation has led to several challenges in the application of legislation in force to platform economy. Several concerns have arisen regarding, for instance, platform workers’ rights, platform-induced competition restrictions, security and privacy of platform users, and consumer protection. The spreading of mis/disinformation, hate speech, and the manipulation of social practices on platforms have called for more attention from governments and legislators, but also from ICT companies, law enforcement and courts. Thus, the responsibilities of platform economy stakeholders require clarification.

Digital platforms typically operate globally. Yet, the negative implications of platform-driven trade often come out nationally and/or locally. This globality of platforms poses additional challenges to supranational, national, and/or local regulators. Legal norms do not comprehensively define the concept of responsibility, which also derives from social norms, peer pressure and personal morale, industry standards and good practices, available guidance, and so forth.

The course encompasses the following topics:
a) Introduction to platform economy and law
b) Cyber/digital security in platform economy
c) CSR as a trigger to regulate: Corporate social responsibility as a tool to measure responsibility of platform actors and question the adequacy of legal measures
d) From legal acceptance to social license to operate – why should platform providers and platform users acknowledge local responses and reactions

Qualifications

The course is recommended only for LLM students.

Assessment criteria, approved/failed

Fail/pass, peer reviews, 1-5

Materials

Will be announced later on Moodle workspace.

Further information

This course is part of the Law and Tech course package.

The package on Law and Technology includes several LLB and LLM level courses on a variety of theoretical and practical legal issues related to technological development, as well as sustainability related matters.

Execution methods

The course will be in Autumn 2022.

The course consists of:
a) lectures 8–10 h
b) learning journals and reflections
c) group work and assignments
d) and a personal or a team project

Accomplishment methods

Written assignments, group work, learning project.