Platforms · Longitudinal empirical ecosystem study

The value and structuring role of web APIs in digital innovation ecosystems: The case of the online travel ecosystem

Research Policy · 2023

Authors not stated on fetched abstract page

Summary

Web APIs enable distributed innovation, decentralized governance and both cooperation and competition; they can support value capture.

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Possible founder application

Design stable, monetizable APIs and governance that attracts complementors without excessive lock-in.

Reported result

What the study found

Web APIs enable distributed innovation, decentralized governance and both cooperation and competition; they can support value capture.

Research question

What the authors investigated

How does the study’s stated design explain its reported outcome in this setting?

Design

Longitudinal empirical ecosystem study

Sample and setting

Online-travel ecosystem observed over 26 years (1995–2021).

Scope and transfer

Limitations to keep in view

Single ecosystem and historical case limit transferability.

Research sources

abstract_only

Study strength

3.5/5 Abstract-level evidence is useful for framing questions; verify full methods before transfer.

How this was assessed

The 1–5 evidence-check score is a practical reading aid, not a formal peer review or a probability that a conclusion is true. It combines design strength (2 points), sample reporting (1), comparison/control clarity (1), and how much of the paper could be checked (1). Access affects how confidently this directory can assess a study, not the study's underlying quality. Blinding is reported separately because it is not relevant to every design.

Design transparency · 2/2

Based on the reported study design in the retrieved source.

Sample and setting · 1/1

The sample context is stated; a numerical count is preserved only when reported.

Outcome clarity · 1/1

The finding is summarized from publisher or article metadata.

Access for checking · 0.5/1

Only abstract or bibliographic access was confirmed.

Double-blind? The retrieved publisher record does not establish whether participants or outcome assessors were blinded.

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