Plaform Economy in the European Union and labour perspectives. Cover Image

Economia platformelor în Uniunea Europeană și perspective asupra muncii.
Plaform Economy in the European Union and labour perspectives.

Author(s): Bianca Lucaci
Subject(s): Governance, Public Administration, Labor relations
Published by: Editura Universității de Vest
Keywords: E-commerce; Institutional power; Platform economy; Work conditions;

Summary/Abstract: The rising “power of the digital” through the role played by companies operating using platforms leads to the arrival of new debate topics such as “platform economy” or even “platform capitalism”. Finding a common point in these debates is perceived as a challenge: mainly, it is about keeping open the possibility of a continuous review of rules governing this sector by the responsible actors. Based on this, we look upon what are the implications for the platform economy when it comes to the meaning of work and occupational diversity. There is no singular answer to this question. Previous research showed that resignification of work is a common characteristic for a variety of time periods. The informational society led to associating new occupational identities to classes that continue to coexist with those inherited from previous times. Technological evolution has made possible a spatial distance within work relationships, with clearly organised exchanges owing to platforms. Companies such as Uber, Deliveroo, Amazon, Google, Facebook, Airbnb try to optimise customer experience, but they slowly become recognized in discourses underlining conflicts between the company, its employees or even public authorities. When it comes to the governance of the platform economy, the European Union is still testing a suitable approach. The degree to which platform economy companies shall be governed is a complex subject especially due to the large variety of such platforms, one example being e-commerce and the European Union perspective upon it. Technology also facilitates the negotiating institutional power of platform employees. Consequently, collective actions of platform economy employees at both European and global level can be identified.

  • Issue Year: 1/2020
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 72-94
  • Page Count: 23
  • Language: Romanian