Digital determinants of competition development in the modern economy: a macroeconomic aspect

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to substantiate the role of digital determinants in transforming the competitive environment and shaping the competitiveness of the national economy under the conditions of digitalization, platformization and the growing importance of data as a strategic resource. The relevance of the study is determined by the fact that digital technologies change not only the instruments of economic activity, but also the logic of competitive interaction between market participants, strengthening the role of innovation, digital infrastructure, human capital, algorithms, platforms and the ability of the economy to integrate into global digital value chains. The research methods include a systemic approach, theoretical generalization, comparative analysis, structural and logical systematization, and macroeconomic assessment of the role of the digital sector in the development of Ukraine’s economic competitiveness. The results of the study show that digital determinants have a dual impact on competition. On the one hand, they contribute to reducing transaction costs, expanding access to markets, increasing productivity, developing innovation and accelerating the exchange of information. On the other hand, digitalization may strengthen market concentration, increase business dependence on large digital platforms and create new sources of market power related to control over data, algorithms, network effects and digital infrastructure. The practical part of the article focuses on the macroeconomic assessment of the importance of telecommunications, computer and information services for Ukraine’s competitiveness. It is substantiated that the Ukrainian IT sector, despite war-related risks and macroeconomic instability, retains strategic importance as a source of high value-added services exports, foreign exchange earnings, human capital development and Ukraine’s integration into the global digital economy. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the author’s systematization of digital determinants of competition and in revealing their impact on economic competitiveness through the combination of technological, institutional, infrastructural and macroeconomic dimensions. The conclusions confirm that digitalization is not only a factor of efficiency growth, but also a source of new competitive asymmetries, which requires the adaptation of public policy, the development of digital infrastructure, support for innovative entrepreneurship, protection of competition in digital markets and strengthening of digital competencies.