Big data economics: The features of the ongoing debate and some policy remarks

There is increasing awareness that the collection of big data and the new data analytics capabilities will have deep social and economic impacts. Benefits are expected in terms of higher quality and variety of goods and services, higher firms' productivity and, ultimately, more sustainable and robust economic development. At the same time, some concerns are raised in terms of possible negative consequences on the way the competitive processes in the big data and related markets will unfold. This paper presents an overview of the most significant features of the ongoing scientific debate, with the aim of critically deriving some implications on the most relevant policy dimensions, with an eye to the Italian case.