Meelis Kitsing

Meelis Kitsing serves as Full Professor in the Economics and Finance Department at Estonian Business School since 2013, specializing in global digital political economy. His academic foundation includes a PhD from UMass Amherst, MSc from LSE, and MALD from Fletcher/Tufts, establishing expertise at the intersection of technology, governance, and international political economy.

• PhD: University of Massachusetts Amherst
• MSc: London School of Economics and Political Science
• MALD: Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy, Tufts University

Kitsing's research centers on digital platform governance and scenario planning for alternative digital futures, with particular emphasis on geopolitical risks in digital ecosystems. His work bridges Science, Technology & Society Studies (STS) with institutional analysis to examine how formal and informal governance structures shape digital transformation. Current projects explore Chinese investments in European digital platforms and scenario-based resilience planning for transnational corporations facing geopolitical uncertainty.

Analysis of his 49 publications reveals consistent thematic evolution from e-government evaluation (2008-2012) toward complex digital ecosystem governance (2020-present). Recent works demonstrate sophisticated integration of scenario planning methodologies with political economy frameworks, particularly examining how small nations like Estonia navigate global digital platform dependencies. His research shows strong methodological diversity spanning case studies, institutional analysis, and computational modeling of open-source software communities.

Kitsing's advisory work focuses on Estonian government initiatives including venture capital programs and digital service trade analysis. His research on "Picking Big Winners and Small Losers" evaluated EU structural fund impacts on Estonian firms, while "Government as Venture Capitalist" analyzed the Estonian Development Fund's portfolio performance. Current projects examine smart transition policies in Estonian cities and geopolitical risk implications for digital service providers.