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Ambre Elsas-Nicolle

Digital Platform Strategy

Mines Paris – PSL, Athens Week (MP35), November 2025.

Course description
This course explores how digital platforms operate, compete, and innovate in today’s economy. Applying concepts from managerial economics and strategy, we examine the distinctive features of platform-based markets, particularly two-sided markets, and how they shape firm behaviour, competitive dynamics, and innovation patterns.
The course combines theoretical foundations with recent empirical findings and real-world case studies. Topics include network effects, pricing strategies, platform governance, competitive interactions within and between platforms, and the impact of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and data-driven innovation.

Learning objectives

  • By the end of this course, course participants will be able to:
  • Understand the economic foundations of two-sided markets and digital platforms.
  • Analyse pricing, differentiation, and market entry strategies in platform settings.
  • Evaluate competitive dynamics between platforms and complementors.
  • Assess the role of platform design and governance in shaping ecosystem outcomes.
  • Explore how AI and Big Data influence strategic decisions in platform markets.

Course format and schedule

This is an intensive, five-day course combining lectures and case-based group work. Each day is divided into two parts:

  • Morning sessions focus on the theoretical foundations of platform strategy. These sessions are lecture-based and draw on key academic papers and book chapters, supplemented with illustrative examples from today’s most prominent platform markets.
  • Afternoon sessions are dedicated to group work based on real-world case studies. Students will work in groups to analyse each case and prepare a short presentation. One group will be randomly selected to present in class, but all groups are expected to submit slides.

Key references

  • Aguiar, L., Reimers, I., & Waldfogel, J. (2024). Platforms and the transformation of the content industries. Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, 33(2), 317-326.
  • Armstrong, M. (2006). Competition in two‐sided markets. The RAND Journal of Economics, 37(3), 668-691.
  • Boudreau, K. J. (2012). Let a thousand flowers bloom? An early look at large numbers of software app developers and patterns of innovation. Organization Science, 23(5), 1409-1427.
  • Calvano, E., Calzolari, G., Denicolo, V., & Pastorello, S. (2020). Artificial intelligence, algorithmic pricing, and collusion. American Economic Review, 110(10), 3267-3297.
  • Einav, L., & Levin, J. (2014). The data revolution and economic analysis. Innovation Policy and the Economy, 14(1), 1-24.
  • Evans, D. S. (2003). Some Empirical Aspects of Multi-Sided Platform Industries. Review of Network Economics, 2(3).
  • Halaburda, H., Prince, J., Daniel Sokol, D., & Zhu, F. (2024). The business revolution: Economy‐wide impacts of artificial intelligence and digital platforms. Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, 33(2), 269-275.
  • Huang, P., Lyu, G., & Xu, Y. (2022). Quality regulation on two-sided platforms: Exclusion, subsidization, and first-party applications. Management Science, 68(6), 4415-4434.
  • Leyden, B. T. (2025). Platform design and innovation incentives: Evidence from the product rating system on Apple’s App Store. International Journal of Industrial Organization, 99, 103133.
  • Loh, J., & Nicolle, A. (2023). Competition and Value Capture in Platform Markets: Implications for Complementor Strategy. Academy of Management Proceedings, Vol. 2023, No. 1, p. 15378.
  • McIntyre, D.P., & Srinivasan, A. (2017). “Networks, platforms, and strategy: Emerging views and next steps.” Strategic Management Journal, 38: 141-160.
  • Rietveld, J., & Eggers, J. P. (2018). Demand Heterogeneity in Platform Markets: Implications for Complementors. Organization Science, 29(2), 304-322.
  • Rietveld, J., Seamans, R., & Meggiorin, K. (2021). Market orchestrators: The effects of certification on platforms and their complementors. Strategy Science, 6(3), 244-264.
  • Rochet, J. C., & Tirole, J. (2003). Platform Competition in Two-Sided Markets. Journal of the European Economic Association, 1(4), 990–1029.
  • Rysman, M. (2009). The economics of two-sided markets. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 23(3), 125-143.
  • Zhu, F., & Liu, Q. (2018). Competing with complementors: An empirical look at Amazon.com. Strategic Management Journal, 39(10), 2618-2642.