Governance and Responsibilities in the Context of Digital Platforms: Three Essays on the Interplay between Platform Governance and the Political Role of the Corporation

This dissertation sheds light on the critical research topic of platform governance defined broadly as the manner in which platform owners incentivize and influence the participation of autonomous users within their respective digital platforms. Platform governance – especially as it pertains to the exercise of voice – presents important challenges to traditional conceptions of the roles and responsibilities of private corporations. The dissertation comprises of three essays (chapters 2, 3, and 4) that collectively study (i) the political underpinnings of platform governance, (ii) the political roles and responsibilities that platform owners undertake within their respective platforms, and (iii) the intellectual structure that denotes extant research into the political role of the corporation. The first essay (chapter 2) reviews extant research into the political role of the corporation as a precursor for the study of platform governance. Using Web of Science to source a dataset of political articles published in management outlets and bibliometric techniques, I highlight the gaps and opportunities that denote extant research and propose a subsequent research agenda. The second essay (chapter 3) examines the limitations of underpowered conceptions of platform governance and proposes an alternative conception informed by political research within management. The study develops the arguments through invoking multiple literature strands coupled with three mini case studies that are leveraged for illustrative purposes. The third essay (chapter 4) examines the political mediator role of platforms owners through which they govern the engagement between platform communities and their respective political sphere. Using an inductive qualitative study of Twitter, I unpack the political practices and activities that denote platform governance. The practices are further contextualized by several factors that influence their adoption by platform owners. Collectively, the essays contribute to platform governance research through bringing fresh insights into extant understanding of the expansive roles and responsibilities of corporations in the digital age.