Data as an economic good, data as a commons, and data governance.

Area of Science:

• Digital Society Governance
• Economic Models of Data
• Political Ecology

Background:

• The economics literature often treats data as a pure economic good.
• Existing data governance frameworks may prioritize data production over broader societal objectives.
• The concept of data commons, while useful, has limitations in addressing complex digital issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically review the economic literature on data as an economic good.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of data-centric economic models for data governance.
• To propose an alternative framework for governing the digital society.

Main Methods:

• Systematic and critical review of economics and data governance literature.
• Analysis of empirical and political claims regarding data commons.
• Development of a political-ecological framework for digital society governance.

Main Results:

• Treating data solely as an economic good leads to increased data production but does not achieve other societal goals.
• Data governance, when narrowly defined by economic models, can be a distraction from fundamental digital problems.
• Commons thinking offers ecological framing but has inherent limitations for digital governance.

Conclusions:

• Digital society governance requires moving beyond exclusive reliance on data-centric economic models.
• A political-ecological approach, incorporating ecological thinking and political awareness, is necessary for effective digital governance.
• Rethinking the framing and ecological makeup of digital governance problems is crucial.