Abstract

This dissertation develops an analytic account of neo-feudalism as an emergent configuration of political economy in which access to essential infrastructures is organized through private, often monopoly-like, control, and where value extraction increasingly takes the form of rents rather than profits generated through competitive production. Building on recent political-economic and critical-theory scholarship, the argument treats neo-feudalism not as a metaphor but as a set of institutional tendencies: platform gatekeeping, proprietary rule-making, asset-based income streams, algorithmic command over labour, and the enclosure of everyday life within contractually governed spaces. The dissertation synthesizes competing conceptualizations (including 'digital feudalism' and 'technofeudalism') and connects them to empirical domains: app-store governance, housing financialization, and algorithmic management. It concludes by outlining policy and collective-action pathways that target the underlying mechanisms of enclosure and dependence, emphasizing interoperability, antitrust enforcement, labour rights in digitally mediated work, and decommodified access to foundational services.

Neo-feudalism in Contemporary Political Economy: A Conceptual Dissertation with Empirical Illustrations