Datafied Democracies & AI Economics Unplugged: Technopolitics in Smart Cities and Network States

This book explores how AI Economics, innovation systems and policies, data cooperatives, and data sovereignty are redefining democracy, governance, and economic life in datafied societies. This book explores how AI Economics, innovation systems and policies, data cooperatives, and data sovereignty are redefining democracy, governance, and economic life in datafied societies. Through global case studies, it examines how smart cities, generative AI (GenAI), and decentralization shape the emergence of datafied democracies, network states, and algorithmic nations. It asks whether these transformations can foster anticipatory governance and democratic renewal, or instead reinforce inequality and technocratic control. Engaging with themes such as technopolitics, digital sovereignty, and post-Westphalian forms of governance, the book bridges political economy, urban studies, and innovation policy to illuminate the evolving relationship between power, technology, and democracy. Without being utopian or dystopian, it advances a civic and institutional framework for aligning technological disruption with digital inclusion strategies. Offering policymakers, researchers, and civic leaders an integrated roadmap, it outlines how citizens, institutions, and AI systems in smart cities and network states can share responsibility for shaping more inclusive, accountable, and innovative digital futures.