By Qian Pingfan, DRC, & Qian Pengzhan, University of California

2017-04-05

Platforms are exerting greater influence on people’s life and has gradually become a major economic model. A platform-based eco-system is a unity composed of the stakeholders and entities relevant to the platform with internal links and interactions. Whether this platform-based eco-system can develop well or not is directly related to the performance of the platform model.

The development of platform-based eco-system could draw enlightenments from the evolvement of coral reefs. 1. The system needs to have a wide coverage. 2. Suitable conditions are required. 3.The platform base and synergy system are very important to the system. 4. The system relies on specific symbiotic species groups. 5. The participating species need to be diverse.

The platform-based eco-system focuses on boosting the communications and interactions between the stakeholders of the platform. 1. Prior to constructing the platform, the platform users’ value principles must be made clear, and links between stakeholders must be sketched. 2. After launching the platform, the major issue is to quickly attract stakeholders’ participation. 3. Its successful development lies in the interactions between the stakeholders. 4. The attraction of the platform and the gathering of resources need joint efforts to bring into play their roles.

To develop the platform-based eco-system, the multiple stakeholders need to jointly create values and exercise common governance. 1. The platform counts on stakeholders to co-develop values for common evolution. 2. The platform requires collective efforts shored up by autonomy provision, incentive creation and integrity guarantee. 3. The sound development of Internet platform-based eco-system consisting of formal organizations, forums and loose alliances reveals the effects of the co-governance results and mechanism by multiple stakeholders.

With regard to enlightenments for policy making, the following aspects need to be noted. 1. The stakeholders of the platform-based eco-system need to have a sense of unity and a big picture in mind. 2. Specific polices need to be formulated. 3. The joint governance by stakeholders needs to be highlighted in developing the platform-based eco-system. 4. Different stakeholders need to be managed in different ways with targeted measures.