Digital power resources (DPR): the political economy of structural and infrastructural business power in digital(ized) capitalism.

The article introduces the concept of digital power resources (DPR), defined as the means and capacities rooted in data, digital technologies, and digital infrastructures that enable firms to reward or punish others, thereby shaping business power across all economic sectors. It distinguishes between structural DPR—based on control over data and digital technologies as factors of production—and infrastructural DPR—based on control over digital infrastructure such as platforms and standard-setting consortia. Applying new indicators to 120 large firms from the USA, UK, France, and Germany across five sectors, the study finds that DPR are widespread but sectorally distributed according to national political-economic contexts, with digital and ICT firms dominating in the USA, manufacturing firms in Germany and France, and no clear pattern in the UK. The article further demonstrates the analytical value of DPR by explaining business preferences and strategies regarding data sovereignty and data-sharing regulation in the German automotive sector, highlighting how carmakers' structural and infrastructural DPR enable cooperation with cloud hyperscalers and shape regulatory conflicts with aftermarket SMEs. This framework broadens understanding of corporate power in digital capitalism beyond platform firms, emphasizing the cross-sectoral and political-economic dimensions of digitalization.