Abstract
AbstractTo investigate whether platform work can grow even in political economies with an adverse institutional environment, we examine Germany as a least likely case. We assess what constrains the growth of platform work in Germany as well as whether existing economic and social institutions adapt to it. We find that platform work is being accommodated in the German political economy, but in a very limited space. The most important institution constraining platform work is social insurance, especially by increasing pressure to rein in bogus self‐employment. Government has so far not seen a need to intervene with new regulation. Within the space that has been carved out for platform work, the traditional institutions of German social partnership are adapting to accommodate and monitor it. Overall, the main actors in the German political economy have a watchful eye on platform work but deal with the phenomenon in a characteristically consensual way.
Highlights
The digital economy has brought with it a new type of employment, platform work, which is seen as characteristic of our emerging age of digital capitalism
We ask: Which institutional features, if any, constrain the rise of platform work in Germany? And how, if at all, do social and economic institutions adapt to platform work? our analysis focuses on the established institutions and collective actors and how they react to platform work
While the Bund Deutscher Arbeitgeber (BDA) stressed the importance of social insurance, the CEO and press officer of Clickworker, a platform work firm, emphasised the need for more universal social protection given the instability of employment in the digital economy
Summary
The digital economy has brought with it a new type of employment, platform work, which is seen as characteristic of our emerging age of digital capitalism. To analyse how the German political economy has constrained or accommodated platform work, we conduct an exploratory case study that draws on semi-structured interviews, policy documents, newspaper articles and secondary literature.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
