Mobile Ecosystems: Opportunities and Challenges in the Asia-Pacific region

A discussion on Mobile Ecosystems: Opportunities and Challenges in the Asia-Pacific Region was organised on June 9, 2021 featuring five speakers from our Platform Futures Expert Network and one invited guest. Watch the full discussion here and scroll down for highlights. Speakers Through a new program on Platform Futures, the Digital Asia Hub convenes a[…]

Data: Opportunities and Challenges in the Asia-Pacific Region

A discussion on Data: Opportunities and Challenges in the Asia-Pacific Region was organised on June 8, 2021, featuring a panel discussion with two members from Digital Asia Hub’s Platform Futures Expert Network in conversation with Malavika Jayaram, and remarks by Dr. Yuko Harayama, Executive Director, RIKEN and Expert Network member. Watch the full discussion here.[…]

Small Books for Big Platforms – Data: Opportunities and Challenges

Digital Asia Hub hosted a discussion with three authors from the Small Books for Big Platforms series in conversation with Nishant Shah, editor of the volume, on June 8.  The authors shared findings from their case studies on platforms in the Asia-Pacific region and Nishant shared a synthesis of all the key findings. Watch the[…]

Public Policy in the Asia-Pacific Region

Digital platforms and ecosystems are increasingly contested spaces, especially when it comes to issues of governance, competition, data flows and rights. Policy makers are grappling with harnessing the potential of platforms for wider societal benefit while also mitigating against risks such as loss of privacy or monopolistic behaviour. In our Platform Futures series we speak[…]

Shifting Sands for Tech Governance in China

2020 was a year of extreme highs and lows for the fortunes of technology platforms in China. From the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic they were central to sustaining economic activity during lockdown and maintaining a ‘new normal’ as the country re-opened. Their dominance over life in China seemed emphatic. By the end of the[…]

Exploring the Mobility and Gig Economy in Indonesia

Indonesia is the largest market in Southeast Asia and one of the most dynamic digital economies in the Asia-Pacific region. The Ojo (motorbike taxi) is considered to be a cultural symbol and key mobility artery to many Indonesians. Today, platforms Go Jek and Grab, global Decacorns each valued over 10 US$ billion, have built an[…]

What Role do Platforms Play as a Space for New Subcultures to Emerge and Thrive?

Global and local social media platforms play a growing role in people’s lives; a space to seek knowledge, entertainment and love, transact goods and services, and to develop a sense of community and belonging. They also make it possible for many to become content creators creating new economies. In many ways, these platforms play the[…]

Data Flows and Tech Policy in India

Through a new program on Platform Futures, the Digital Asia Hub aims to convene a network of academics and experts studying multiple aspects of platforms, and to create a space for dialogue on opportunities, challenges, and governance best practices in the APAC context. Smitha Krishna Prasad has been working with the Centre for Communication Governance[…]

Kick Off Meeting Notes

Digital Asia Hub formally launched the Platform Futures Expert Network initiative with a members-only meeting (online) on February 3, 2021. The meeting notes below capture some of the highlights of the discussion with all comments from members anonymized in keeping with the Chatham House rule. Platform Futures The meeting started with a round of introductions[…]