TY - JOUR
T1 - The feasibility of platform cooperatives in the gig economy
AU - Bunders, Damion Jonathan
AU - Arets, Martijn
AU - Frenken, Koen
AU - De Moor, Tine
N1 - Acknowledgements:
M.A. and K.F. benefitted from funding from the Strategic Theme
“Institutions for Open Societies” at Utrecht University, The Netherlands.
D.J.B. and T.D.M. benefitted from funding through the programme
“Sustainable Cooperation – Roadmaps to Resilient Societies (SCOOP)”
awarded by Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO)
and the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) in the
context of its 2017 Gravitation Program (grant number 024.003.025).
We are grateful for comments by Rense Corten and Juliet Schor, and two
anonomous reviewers. The usual caveat applies.
Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors
PY - 2022/6
Y1 - 2022/6
N2 - In view of the precarity and economic dependency of gig workers, platform cooperatives come into the picture as alternatives to investor-owned platforms. We develop a taxonomy of platform cooperatives along the dimensions of ownership of the platform and employment by the cooperative. Platform cooperatives are then examined as worker-run matchmaking platforms for gigs, by analysing their challenges, highlighting the difficulties to raise capital, take collective decisions, and gain institutional support. On the basis of a feasibility analysis, we conclude that the identified challenges can most likely be successfully overcome by platform co-ops that organise taxi rides and professional jobs, while it may prove much more difficult in food delivery, homecare and micro-tasking.
AB - In view of the precarity and economic dependency of gig workers, platform cooperatives come into the picture as alternatives to investor-owned platforms. We develop a taxonomy of platform cooperatives along the dimensions of ownership of the platform and employment by the cooperative. Platform cooperatives are then examined as worker-run matchmaking platforms for gigs, by analysing their challenges, highlighting the difficulties to raise capital, take collective decisions, and gain institutional support. On the basis of a feasibility analysis, we conclude that the identified challenges can most likely be successfully overcome by platform co-ops that organise taxi rides and professional jobs, while it may prove much more difficult in food delivery, homecare and micro-tasking.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85125799719&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jcom.2022.100167
DO - 10.1016/j.jcom.2022.100167
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85125799719
VL - 10
JO - Journal of Co-operative Organization and Management
JF - Journal of Co-operative Organization and Management
SN - 2213-297X
IS - 1
M1 - 100167
ER -