Ordoliberalism and the Governance of Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence, Big Tech, and data-driven business models are reshaping economies, societies, and democratic institutions. This book argues that ordoliberalism — often mistakenly equated with laissez-faire neoliberalism — provides a powerful and highly relevant framework for governing AI and digital capitalism.
Combining the history of economic thought, political philosophy, constitutional economics, business ethics, and computer ethics, the study develops the concept of “Ordoliberalism 2.0.” Building on the works of Walter Eucken, Franz Böhm, Wilhelm Röpke, and Alexander Rüstow, it translates ordoliberal principles into the context of platform monopolies, algorithmic governance, AI ethics, and data capitalism.
The book examines how rule-based governance, competition policy, and constitutional principles can help address the societal risks posed by Big Tech and AI, including monopolistic power, algorithmic opacity, democratic fragility, and threats to human dignity and the rule of law. It offers an interdisciplinary framework for academics, policymakers, regulators, and professionals engaged in AI governance and digital regulation.
Dr. Wörsdörfer is an Associate Professor at the Maine Business School and the School of Computing and Information Science, and an Associate Member of the Climate Change Institute and AI Initiative at the University of Maine. Before joining UMaine, he served as a lecturer and research fellow at the Murdough Center for Engineering Professionalism and as a member of the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University. He was also a postdoctoral research fellow at the Cluster of Excellence ‘The Formation of Normative Orders’ and a member of the Centre for Business Ethics at Goethe University Frankfurt. Additionally, he has held visiting research fellowships at Beijing University, Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Toronto, and York University. Dr. Wörsdörfer’s research focuses on business and human rights, AI ethics, big tech and antitrust, and climate finance. His work has been presented at major international conferences, including the Australasian Business Ethics Network, European Business Ethics Network, and the Society for Business Ethics, and published in journals such as AI and Ethics, Business and Society Review, Journal of Business Ethics, Philosophy & Technology, The Antitrust Bulletin, and Transnational Legal Theory. He is the author of the 2026 De Gruyter book AI Ethics and Governance – Historical, Cultural, and Regulatory Perspectives.