Research on the Openness of Digital Platforms Based on Entropy-Weighted TOPSIS: Evidence from China

Abstract

Regarding digital platforms in recent years, the abuse of a platform’s dominant position, applications monitoring user behaviour, the difficulty of exiting digital platforms, and the inability of users to transfer data on platforms have become increasingly acute, which makes the evaluation of the openness of digital platforms extremely urgent. This paper applies the relatively objective entropy-weighted TOPSIS method to construct a digital platform openness index (DPOI) to evaluate the openness of 22 digital platforms in China. The research found that there are certain institutional constraints and obstacles in the access, transaction, exit, and transfer of different types of digital platform, and it is necessary to sustainably improve the openness of digital platforms to bring convenience to users in the future. Our results not only update the practical data on the openness of emerging digital platforms, but also enrich the literature in the field of digital platform openness, which has significant implications for evaluating the openness of digital platforms in emerging markets such as China.