Descrizione del progetto
Come far funzionare la «gig economy» per i lavoratori
Il mercato odierno del lavoro si sta evolvendo online: la digitalizzazione e la connettività, infatti, stanno cambiando il rapporto di lavoro e stanno dando vita alla «gig economy». Ad esempio, i lavoratori vengono assunti tramite piattaforme su Internet per svolgere servizi una tantum (un «gig», ossia un «lavoretto»). Ma come tutto ciò si sta sviluppando in un grosso mercato del lavoro? Naturalmente, la parte online (mansioni da svolgere al computer come la programmazione, l’editing e la traduzione) costituisce il primo mercato del lavoro globale. In questo contesto, il progetto www.WORK finanziato dall’UE, analizzerà cosa succede quando i lavoratori di questo mercato offrono servizi a tariffe basse che non consentono di pagare l’assicurazione sanitaria o di crearsi una pensione. In particolare, verrà elaborato un nuovo paradigma di ricerca istituzionale sui mercati online.
Obiettivo
The 'gig economy', where workers are hired through internet platforms to complete a one-time service task (a 'gig'), is growing into a major labour market. Yet, we still lack a theory of how it develops. Its online part, including tasks to be completed at the computer (e.g. programming or translations), constitutes the first truly global labour market. Faced with unprecedented competition, most gig workers offer their services at low rates that do not allow for insurances or building up pensions. Several governments therefore consider making social security contributions compulsory. But can regulation at the national level protect workers in online markets, or will the demand for online gigs simply relocate to low-wage, low-protection economies?
Based on an interdisciplinary framework of theories on varieties-of-capitalism, innovation systems, and entrepreneurial ecosystems, I propose a new institutional theory on ‘mirror-image specialization’: I hypothesize that education and labour-market institutions lead requesters, platforms, and providers of online gig work to specialize in hiring, transacting, and offering those skills that are least available in their home labour markets. This leads to specialization patterns in a country’s online gig economy opposite to those in its traditional labour market. If this is the case, my theory breaks ground for a new paradigm in institutional research of online markets and indicates that national policy-making can protect gig workers without risking the relocation of gig demand.
To enable this theoretical high-risk/high-gain contribution, I will go beyond the empirical state-of-the-art of single-platform studies by collecting novel, large-N data on gig requesters (WP1), platforms (WP2), and gig providers (WP3). Using quantitative and qualitative methods, I will go beyond the analytical state-of-the-art of one-time studies and analyse panel and time-stamped data to gain over-time insights into how the online gig economy unfolds.
Campo scientifico
Programma(i)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
ERC - Support for frontier research (ERC)Istituzione ospitante
6525 XZ Nijmegen
Paesi Bassi