Taking Ecosystems Competition Seriously in the Digital Economy: A (Preliminary) Dynamic Competition/Capabilities Perspective

Taking Ecosystems Competition Seriously in the Digital Economy: A (Preliminary) Dynamic Competition/Capabilities Perspective

Nicolas Petit

European University Institute - Department of Law (LAW)

David Teece

Institute for Business Innovation

Abstract

This paper discusses digital ecosystems. It first describes the common properties of business ecosystems and the idiosyncrasies of digital ecosystems. It then explains how dynamic capabilities provide a good understanding of ecosystem competition. It closes by exploring how a dynamic capabilities/competition-minded antitrust policy would look like. The paper was prepared for for the OECD hearing on Competition Economics of Digital Ecosystems (3 December 2020).