Technology, Inequality and the Democratizing of Innovation

This thesis examines how technological advancement in the digital economy has intensified economic inequality and undermined egalitarian ideals, proposing a liberal-republican framework as a response. It critiques the monopolistic power of “Big Tech” and questions whether their control over data and intellectual property fosters an unjust hierarchy of wealth and political power. Moving beyond critique, the thesis advocates for republican freedom as non-domination to envision institutions and norms that democratize technological benefits and uphold justice. The initial chapters build a normative foundation, drawing on thinkers like John Rawls, Philip Pettit, and Alan Thomas, while emphasizing the stability of liberal-republican institutions through Machiavelli’s insights on corruption and systemic decay driven by antagonism between “the many” and “the few.” Chapter three is a central chapter that analyzes the digital or “knowledge” economy, suggesting it mirrors early capitalist structures, such as the “putting-out” system, or what Yanis Varoufakis calls “technofeudalism.” Subsequent chapters explore the relationship between technological innovation and finance, revealing how it deepens economic and political disparities. The thesis proposes digital Georgism and stronger support for open-source initiatives as ways to democratize innovation and highlights the republican ideal of self-sufficiency for economic independence and non-domination. Concluding chapters evaluate socialist solutions, including James Muldoon’s “Platform Socialism,” before presenting a liberal-republican alternative that supports shared innovation, justice, and sustainable democratic governance in an evolving economy.