A Decentralized Hybrid Platform for Sustainable Product- Service Ecosystems

The rapid expansion of digital platforms has fundamentally transformed labor markets and value creation mechanisms, yet prevailing gig economy and e-commerce models remain constrained by centralized control, labor precarity, and fragmented product-service delivery. Addressing these structural limitations, this study proposes a conceptual framework for a decentralized hybrid platform that integrates product distribution, service provision, network-based employment, and retail-driven job creation within a unified socio-technical ecosystem. The proposed model enables individuals and local retail units to simultaneously operate as service providers, product distributors, and micro-entrepreneurs, thereby facilitating multi-source income generation, enhanced worker autonomy, and localized value retention. Drawing on platform economy theory, human-centered economic theory, shared value theory, and decentralized organizational design, the framework embeds artificial intelligence-driven coordination, decentralized logistics, and layered governance mechanisms to support scalable, resilient, and ethically governed operations. Artificial intelligence is employed for demand forecasting, task allocation, dynamic pricing, and performance monitoring under principles of transparency, explainability, and accountability. In parallel, the governance architecture incorporates smart contracts, participatory incentive structures, ethical labor standards, and regulatory compliance mechanisms to mitigate power asymmetries and ensure long-term socio-economic sustainability. By integrating existing retail infrastructure as decentralized employment nodes, the model presents a novel pathway for large-scale job creation without reliance on capital-intensive expansion or centralized organizational control. The study contributes to the literature on platform economies and sustainable business models by advancing a hybrid, human-centered platform archetype that aligns digital innovation with inclusive growth, decent work, and community-based economic development. While conceptual in nature, the framework offers a scalable blueprint for policymakers, platform designers, and development institutions seeking to leverage digital platforms as engines of sustainable and inclusive employment.

کلیدواژه ها:

Decentralized Platform Economy ، Hybrid Product-Service Systems ، Human-Centered Work ، Sustainable Business Models ، Digital Platform Goverance