Platform ecosystem governance and its influence on the process of formation and institutionalization of new practices for development

Abstract

This study examined how platform ecosystem governance mechanisms, as enacted through human intermediaries, influenced the formation and institutionalization of new practices among smallholder farmers in an ICT4D context. We conceptualize platform ecosystems as socio-technical systems comprising platform owners, complementors, intermediaries, and end-users whose interactions shape governance through digital and physical interactions. Drawing on a mixed-methods design, we investigated eKutir, a platform-based social enterprise in India that employed local micro-entrepreneurs to mediate interactions between farmers and a digital platform. A quasi-experimental difference-in-differences analysis showed that after one year, farmers in intervention villages ( n = 120) experienced an increase (β = 0.32, p = 0.014) in confidence using digital agricultural technologies, relative to control groups ( n = 120), signaling the early institutionalization of new practices. Qualitative data from interviews (n = 12) and focus groups ( n = 83) enabled the development of a six-phase process model tracing governance mechanisms that shaped the emergence and institutionalization of new practices: (i) forming digital and physical connections, (ii) gaining legitimacy, (iii) establishing inter-field resource dependencies, (iv) distributing power, (v) standardizing practices, and (vi) sustaining changes in practices. Micro-entrepreneurs played a central role in enacting platform governance on the ground by translating rules, facilitating connectivity, and enabling access. This study contributes to literature on platform governance by showing how governance influenced practices through intermediaries and their digital and physical interactions. It also extends ICT4D research by theorizing how development platform ecosystems embed durable change, shifting focus from adoption outcomes alone to the process of change among marginalized communities. Practical insights for sustainable development and policy are discussed.