Platform Economy and Work

By discussing high-quality research outputs in the field of management, industrial relations, employment studies and sociology, students have engaged meaningfully in the relevant debates, with a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of these timely and critical issues, including how technological development, such as algorithms, mobile technology, etc., influences the quantity and quality of jobs. 

The course begins by defining the landscape of platform work, utilizing theoretical frameworks such as labor process and algorithmic management. Moving beyond consumer experience, we examine how platform labor is managed and executed. This inquiry extends beyond local delivery services to include transnational crowdsourcing platforms.

The demographic of platform workers is far from monolithic. While often framed as “freelance” or “flexible” work, many individuals enter the platform economy due to rigidities in the traditional labor market—such as caregiving responsibilities or health constraints—or as a response to systemic discrimination. Consequently, the course explored the intersection of gendered divisions of labor, ethnicity, and race; the tension between workers who identify as “self-employed entrepreneurs” versus those who view themselves as subordinates under strict algorithmic control.

The second half of the semester focused on the legal classification of platform workers: are they employees or independent contractors? By analyzing case studies from Europe and East Asia, we evaluated how existing national labor regimes adapt to—or conflict with—emerging technologies. To conclude, the course pivoted to the consumer perspective. We critically re-examined current discourses on the platform economy, encouraging students to reflect on their own roles as consumers and how they should engage with the ethical and structural issues surrounding platform labor.