PhD Dissertation Defense by Deserina SULAEMAN | Raising Funds in the Era of Digital Economy

Digital platforms that connect economic agents play an important role in the current digital economy. The unbridled proliferation of digital platforms calls for a closer examination of the factors that could affect the welfare of the increasing number of economic agents who participate in them. This dissertation consists of two essays that examine the factors that could affect the welfare of agents using the setting of a crowdfunding platform. The first essay explores a factor within the platform; how displaying certain campaigns more prominently on the platform affects the performance of other campaigns. Such selective prominent practice is often viewed negatively because it is perceived to place less prominent sellers at a disadvantage (Kramer & Schnurr, 2018). The findings from the first essay provide a counterpoint to this popular view by documenting a positive spill-over effect from an increase in the performance of the prominent campaigns.

The second essay explores a factor external to the platform; how public statements from a government official affect private donations to charitable crowdfunding campaigns. This essay documents how social media usage, particularly by a government official, can influence the dynamics within and across ethnic groups. In sum, the findings from the two essays help inform platform designers, policymakers, and government officials of the potential effects of their actions on the digital economy.

Deserina SULAEMAN is a Ph.D. candidate in the Information System and Management area under the supervision of Assistant Professor Mei LIN. Members of her dissertation committee include Professor Srinivas REDDY from LKCSB, Assistant Professor Qian TANG from SIS, and Professor Zannie Giraud VOSS from Southern Methodist University. Deserina's research agenda is focused on the digital platform economy. Deserina holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from Purdue University and Master's degrees in Marketing (MBA) and Arts Management (MA) from Southern Methodist University.