Concentration of economic power and the crisis of democracy: digital platforms

• Grant number: 24/09274-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2024
• End date: June 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Law - Public Law
• Principal Investigator: Rúrion Soares Melo
• Grantee: José Eriko Monteiro Neto
• Host Institution: Centro Brasileiro de Análise e Planejamento (CEBRAP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 19/22387-0 - Crises of democracy: critical theory and the diagnosis of present time, AP.TEM

Abstract

The concentration of economic power on digital platforms has been an issue of great concern, including its effects on democratic regimes. Large technology companies such as Meta and Alphabet have accumulated a significant amount of power, influencing the economy, politics and the public sphere. In view of this, the growth of this power brings up the debate on the concentration of economic power, which directly affects competition in the market and its relationship with the state and democratic politics. In particular, it requires careful analysis and provokes debate on regulatory measures to ensure that digital platforms operate transparently, responsibly and in accordance with democratic principles and taking into account the particularities of each national reality. The aim of this research project is to systematize the diagnoses in contemporary literature regarding the causes and implications of the concentration of economic power in digital media and platforms, especially in relation to the crisis of democracy, and to assess their relevance to the Brazilian case.