Governing the European Edtech Ecosystem: Value Creation, Modes, and Tensions

Description

The European educational technology (edtech) sector forms a complex assemblage in which value creation is shaped by a specific set of governance dynamics. Recently, this assemblage is increasingly being thematized as an ecosystem. However, the ecosystem trope is not neutral, but a very specific and distinct metaphor that shapes how the edtech sector is framed, approached, understood, and given form. This article analyzes the alleged ecosystemic qualities of the European edtech sector, arguing that it is characterized by three primary modes of governance aimed at fostering value: governance by autonomy, complementarity, and modularity. We contend that these modes do not operate in isolation but exist within inherent tension spaces: atomism versus holism, commonality versus difference, and divergence versus convergence. Based on interviews with key informants and a qualitative review of policy documents, the article highlights that constant pressures from new entrants, fragmentation, and large competitors necessitate ongoing innovation and strategic adaptation. In doing so, the article presents a systematization of governance modes currently present in the European edtech sector, offering a nuanced holistic understanding of a sector that has thus far been mainly researched in disaggregated manners. The article concludes by explicating and elucidating the dedicated European features of this sector.

Period	19 Jun 2025
Event title	European Conference on Critical Edtech Studies
Event type	Conference
Location	8090 Zürich , SwitzerlandShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International