A systematic mapping study of effective regulations and policies against digital monopolies: visualizing the recent status of anti-monopoly research areas in the digital economy

Abstract

The number of digital goods and services within the field of the digital economy is growing significantly while simultaneously causing management and regulation problems over them. This makes policy-makers find it hard to keep up with effective regulations and policies or devise effective measures related to the fair government of digital economy domains, thereby digital monopolies are avoided and healthy competition is improved in digital markets. To increase the role of government in the digital economy, this study aims to provide an overview of research areas related to anti-monopoly aspects of the digital economy and outline rising trends and gaps in regulations /policies against digital monopolies. In this regard, we cover and classify research in the area of digital monopolies and effective regulations during the advances of the digital economy, following the inclusion criteria based on the most recent and most promising topics of the digital economy: big data & artificial intelligence, the platform economy, digital trade, financial technology, sustainability, and human welfare. Based on a five-step procedure of conducting systematic mapping, Swale's move/step analysis framework, this paper provides a visual summary of the status of policy research areas and research agendas.