The journal Intereconomics, published bi-monthly by CEPS and the Leibniz Information Centre for Economics (ZBW), features articles dealing with economic and social policy issues affecting Europe. Each issue contains a Forum section offering an in-depth exploration of a selected topic. All contributions to the Forum section in each issue, as well as the Editorial, are available for free downloading from the CEPS website at the links below (for full content, see www.intereconomics.eu).

Abstract: The rise of the platform economy has made it a topic of great interest among European policymakers, as evidenced by the European Commission’s 2016 Communication “A European agenda for the collaborative economy”. The regulatory challenges facing policymakers are manifold, ranging from taxation to competition policy to worker protection. Furthermore, many basic aspects of the platform economy are unclear, such as its size, the number of workers who take part in it and, indeed, its very de? nition. What types of regulation are necessary to ensure that the bene? ts of the platform economy are maximised for all Europeans? How can the productivity gains associated with the platform economy be distributed throughout society? Perhaps most importantly, how can policymakers support innovation while also protecting consumers, workers and communities?

Authors: John Zysman, Martin Kenney, Jan Drahokoupil, Agnieszka Piasna, Georgios Petropoulos, Willem Pieter De Groen, Zachary Kilhoffer, Karolien Lenaerts, Nicolas Salez, Annette Bongardt, Francisco Torres, Joseph Parilla

Forum: Intelligent Tools and Digital Platforms: Implications for Work and Employment

By John Zysman and Martin Kenney

Forum: Work in the Platform Economy: Beyond Lower Transaction Costs

By Jan Drahokoupil and Agnieszka Piasna

Forum: Collaborative Economy: Market Design and Basic Regulatory Principles

By Georgios Petropoulos

Forum: The Impact of the Platform Economy on Job Creation

By Willem Pieter De Groen, Zachary Kilhoffer, Karolien Lenaerts and Nicolas Salez

Editorial: On States, Regions and European Integration

By Annette Bongardt and Francisco Torres

Letter from America: America’s Cities Compete for Amazon

By Joseph Parilla