Between Autonomy and Determinism: The Meso- Régulation Approach Applied to Digital Platforms

Abstract

This article shows that the French régulation approach, although never explicitly framed as such, relies on methods rooted in meso-level analysis, situated between micro and macro perspectives. This paves the way for a research agenda that explores how the socioeconomic arenas under study are differentiated and how their actors develop diverse institutional arrangements across groups of interest. Building on multiple case studies, we propose a conceptual framework to examine meso-régulation dynamics. These cases highlight sectoral, territorial, or professional forms of régulation that do not, however, amount to an “accumulation regime” in the classical sense. Digital platforms serve as an empirical example to test the heuristic potential of the meso-régulation perspective.

JEL Classification: B52, O43, L86