Economic Policy in the Digital Age: How Technology is Challenging the Principles of the Market Economy

This book addresses how digital technology is challenging the principles of the market economy and the consequences for economic policy. Applying the approach of the Freiburg School as a heuristic perspective, the study examines the concrete effects of digital technology on the price system and monetary policy, the openness of markets, the role of private property, and labour markets. It highlights the emergence of digital innovations such as digital currencies, digital goods, artificial intelligence, digital platforms and the sharing economy and discusses the challenges these innovations pose for economic governance and the development of adequate economic policy instruments. This comprehensive overview provides a basic understanding of the scope of the digital transformation and addresses a wide scale of important aspects of e.g. competition and trade policy, the impact of robotisation on labour market policy, and how economic policy must incorporate social aspects. The book appeals to scholars and students of economics, public management professionals, and anyone interested in the challenges of digitalisation in the context of economic policy.