Project description
A legal look at Modern Bigness
Large tech-firms and their platforms yield a lot of power and influence within society. Does this make Big Tech a big problem? Should European competition law tackle the challenges of ‘Modern Bigness’ – the new powerful technology companies that have emerged from the digital economy? These are questions stemming from the rapid technological developments and unprecedented data collection that impacts both market and non-market values as well as freedom and democracy. The EU-funded MOBI project will review the current situation. It will start by developing an original theory of the so-called ‘Modern Bigness’. The project will also review the nature and boundaries of European competition law in relation to digital developments.
Objective
The influence of large tech-companies in society is undeniable. The emergence and development of the digital economy marks a paradigm-shift towards a more connected and fluid platform society. New challenges stem from rapid technological developments, the combination of economic and digital power, and arise from a combination of unprecedented data-collection and the indispensability of pivotal platforms for both market-participants and citizens. This impacts both markets and democracy.
Even though the challenges are urgent, law struggles to find answers. This is true also for European competition law, which aims to combat the negative effects of market power. However, as is hypothesized here, powerful tech-companies give rise to a new type of power: Modern Bigness. It impacts both market values and non-market values, such as freedom and democracy. The MOBI project investigates whether European competition law can and should tackle the challenges of Modern Bigness, arising from the digital economy. It will first develop an original theory of Modern Bigness. A case study on hypernudging digital platform-users and autonomy, and a case study on access to platforms by using the essential facilities-doctrine or public utility theory will highlight the entwinedness of market and non-market impacts, while a third study evaluates whether the power of Modern Bigness itself could be under threat by the disruptive impact of blockchain-technology. The overarching research question is answered by considering the response to the question whether European competition should tackle the multifaceted challenges of Modern Bigness within a normative framework building upon European constitutional theory and the nascent field of technology regulation.
The project fundamentally reconsiders the nature and boundaries of European competition law in relation to digital developments. Ultimately, it is driven by the desire to protect fundamental societal, market and non-market values.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
ERC-STG - Starting Grant
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2019-STG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
3584 CS Utrecht
Netherlands
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.