Platform economy and the cooperative legal form: case study of a marketplace for short agri-food supply chains
Abstract
The platform economy constitutes a new socioeconomic paradigm, marked by the digital intermediation of transactions and the generation of value from data and content generated by users themselves. This new paradigm has been recognized for its benefits in terms of efficiency, flexibility, and innovation. At the same time, it has also raised important questions regarding the concentration of power, precarious labour, and data exploitation. In response, the concept of platform cooperatives has emerged as an alternative proposal for digital platform governance, founded on principles of democratic management, solidarity, and equitable distribution of results. This article investigates the adequacy of the cooperative legal form to the specificities of the platform economy, focusing on the Portuguese legal framework. To this end, we use the case study method, centered on a digital marketplace for the promotion of short agri-food supply chains. The analysis focuses on the governance model of this marketplace in light of the Portuguese Cooperative Code. The results point to the potential of the cooperative form as a legal and organ-izational response to the emerging challenges of the platform economy, par-ticularly in the context of short agri-food supply chains.
Received: 04 November 2025; Accepted: 23 March 2026
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References
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