The Prime Minister’s Office in Finland published in late 2017 a list of change factors of the global landscape, with the aim to familiarise decision-makers as well as citizens with the changes and uncertainties we will face in the future. The result of fifteen key factors of change was produced in collaboration with experts across ministries and their strategy work. They also provide the basis for dedicated futures outlooks by various ministries to be published later in 2018.
The fifteen change factors each introduce the identified change and describe the situation until 2030. Additionally, alternative paths and development directions are offered. Rather than predictions, the change factors help prepare for various alternatives around the identified change topics, all the while acknowledging uncertainties.
In this signal post, the fifteen change factors are briefly analysed in the context of the platform economy. The idea was to formulate statements as questions and portray the alternative ways the change factor may be expressed in the platform economy. Some of the change factors can act as high level trends that steer platform development from afar, whereas others have very straightforward impact mechanisms. On the other hand, platforms themselves can influence the change factors and contribute to how the changes take place. The objective of this analysis is to help to map the potential with the platform economy regarding both opportunities and threats in the changing societal landscape. In fact, as the platform economy evolves, any of the issues identified may take a positive or negative turn or a combination of the two.
Political
- International order in transition
- Will the USA host as the basis for leading platform companies?
- Can China and the rest of Asia challenge the US leadership?
- Will platforms act as enabling tools in international policy-making?
- Will platforms be used as enabling tools for conflicts and corruption?
- Development of the EU and national states
- Will the EU develop into a competitive and uniformly close-knit platform economy?
- Could we face a failure of joint EU activities in the platform economy?
- Are there going to be nationally or regionally confined platform economies?
- Changes in democracy and multiform participation
- Will platforms act as enablers of accessible knowledge and the information society?
- Will platforms be used to spread polarisation and misinformation?
- Will platforms be employed as tools to societal participation in democracy?
Economic
- Global economy in transition
- Are we going to see globally reigning platform monopolies or local platform economies?
- Is the economic growth from platforms around the world going to be even or uneven?
- Will platforms support quick profits or sustainable growth?
- Economic development in Finland
- Will Finland succeed as a balanced platform economy on its own?
- Is Finland going to excel in its niche areas in the global platform economy?
- Will Finland remain a minor actor in the platform business?
- Transition of work
- Is all work going to be gig work on platforms?
- Could education, training and skills be provided on platforms on an on-demand basis?
Social
- Demography and urbanisation
- Can platforms bring along a counter-trend to urbanisation and migration?
- Could platforms help to solve challenges related to ageing?
- Will platforms be used as connectors between culturally or demographically differing groups?
- Changing values and attitudes
- How will ethics and values be incorporated into platforms?
- Could different platforms support variability in choices on lifestyles and values?
- Will platforms be used as a destructive force?
- Inequality and disparity
- Will platforms be employed to empower women and build equal opportunities globally?
- Will platforms be used to aggravate polarisation of individuals and nations?
- Can platforms contribute to accessible human health and wellbeing?
Technological
- Technological transition
- Will blockchain, AI, robots, etc. be employed successfully in platforms?
- Is the role of platforms and advanced technologies to be in control or as a subordinate?
- Could we face technological underachievement and failure of the platform economy?
- Will data be the currency of the future technological platforms?
- Digital competences in public administration
- Will the public sector be active in platform management and participation?
- Is public administration going to be incapable of deploying digital platforms in their own processes?
- Can the public sector keep up with platform markets?
- Resilience of critical infrastructure
- Will platforms bring intelligence into infrastructure management?
- Will we be able to ensure resilience regarding digital infrastructures and cyber security?
Ecological
- Climate change
- Could platforms and advanced technologies contribute to effective agreements in climate policy?
- Will digital platforms increase or decrease the overall environmental burden?
- Could the platform economy provide the means to survive with climate change impacts?
- State of environment and nature
- Could platforms facilitate monitoring of natural and built environments?
- Sustainable use of natural resources
- Could platforms be used as enabling tools for material and resource management, e.g. recycling?
- Will sharing platforms promote effectively sustainable, resource-efficient lifestyles and economies?
- Will unsustainable consumption patterns spread uncontrollably because of platforms?
- Are platforms, data and related technologies going to increase energy consumption exceedingly?
Selected articles and websites