Platform Enterprises: Rethinking The Role Of Digital Platforms As Quasi-Governmental Institutions In The Age Of Digital Governance

Year 2025, Volume: 10 Issue: 2, 473 - 482

Kaan Yiğenoğlu , Celal Kızıldere

Abstract

As digital platforms increasingly mediate the provision of basic public services, their role is transforming from commercial intermediaries to semi-public infrastructures. This paper examines this transformation through the case of Alipay in China. Although Alipay is a privately owned platform, it is now widely used in many areas such as social security payments, access to healthcare, legal transactions and public services. In this context, a key question is whether such platforms should still be regulated according to traditional private enterprise frameworks or whether their public functions require a new regulatory approach. Drawing on the framework of governance theory, public value theory and infrastructure studies, this paper develops the Digital Semi-Publicity Model, which positions platforms such as Alipay as semi-public enterprises that are privately owned but functionally public. The findings reveal an urgent need for hybrid regulatory models that combine market-based oversight and public accountability principles. This study contributes to current debates on platform governance, digital sovereignty and the restructuring of state capacity in the digital age.

Keywords

Digital governance , Digital infrastructure , Quasi-public enterprises , Alipay

Platform Girişimleri: Dijital Yönetişim Çağında Dijital Platformların Yarı-Kamusal Kurumlar Olarak Rolünü Yeniden Düşünmek

Abstract

Dijital platformlar giderek daha fazla temel kamu hizmetlerinin sunumuna aracılık ettikçe, rolleri ticari aracılardan yarı-kamusal altyapılara doğru dönüşmektedir. Bu çalışma, Çin'deki Alipay örneği üzerinden bu dönüşümü incelemektedir. Alipay, özel mülkiyete sahip bir platform olmasına rağmen, günümüzde sosyal güvenlik ödemeleri, sağlık hizmetlerine erişim, hukuki işlemler ve kamu hizmetleri gibi pek çok alanda yaygın şekilde kullanılmaktadır. Bu bağlamda, temel sorulardan biri, bu tür platformların hâlâ geleneksel özel girişim çerçevelerine göre mi düzenlenmesi gerektiği, yoksa kamusal işlevleri nedeniyle yeni bir düzenleyici yaklaşım mı gerektirdiğidir. Yönetişim teorisi, kamusal değer teorisi ve altyapı çalışmaları çerçevesinden hareketle bu makale, Alipay gibi platformları özel mülkiyete sahip fakat işlevsel olarak kamusal olan yarı-kamusal girişimler olarak konumlandıran Dijital Yarı-Kamusallık Modelini geliştirmektedir. Bulgular, piyasa temelli denetim ile kamusal hesap verebilirlik ilkelerini birleştiren hibrit düzenleyici modellere acil ihtiyaç olduğunu ortaya koymaktadır. Bu çalışma, platform yönetişimi, dijital egemenlik ve dijital çağda devlet kapasitesinin yeniden yapılandırılması konularındaki güncel tartışmalara katkı sunmaktadır.

Keywords

Dijital yönetişim , Dijital altyapı , Yarı kamusal girişimler , Alipay

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