Governance, technology, and the limits of digital solidarity economies: A South Korean case study

This study examines the rise and fall of a government-led collaborative mobility platform in "City P," South Korea. Framed as a "people-centred" digital solidarity economy project, the initiative promised blockchain-enabled transparency and community co-ownership. Drawing on Hansmann’s ownership theory, Korea’s mutual-aid traditions – dure (labour pooling), gye (rotating credit), and hyangyak (village compacts) – and Science and Technology Studies (STS) perspectives, we conducted a qualitative case study using municipal documents and 11 stakeholder interviews. Findings reveal a "cascade of failures" across four dimensions: a state-led sociotechnical imaginary prioritised technological complexity over user needs; opaque "black-box" designs displaced community agency; participatory forums devolved into performative consultation; and appeals to traditional solidarity collapsed without visible reciprocity. Despite official reports claiming measurable gains in jobs and traffic reduction, residents experienced friction and mistrust. Tensions escalated into over 1,500 complaints and local boycotts, eroding social capital. We argue that meaningful digital solidarity economies require enforceable governance rights, legible accounting, and culturally resonant ownership structures. The City P case underscores that without these foundations, well-intentioned platforms risk reproducing the hierarchical and extractive dynamics they seek to overcome.