Abstract
Risk Shifts in the Gig Economy: The Normative Case for an Insurance Scheme against the Effects of Precarious Work*
Highlights
We introduce the idea of a Principle of Inverse Coverage (PIC), which stipulates that the shorter, more variable, and less predictable a form of employment, the higher should be the contributions to social insurance schemes made by the employer
We address the question of how policymakers should respond to the rise of the gig economy in three steps: we first set out two desiderata for a policy response (Section III.A), introduce our proposal of the Principle of Inverse Coverage (Section III.B), and contrast it with other ideas (Section III.C)
In the eyes of its advocates, the rise of the gig economy is the spearhead of social progress
Summary
We observe that there has recently been a shift towards more flexible forms of employment, which is best illustrated by, but not limited to, the rise of the gig economy. We propose that this trend is best understood as a risk shift: the owners of firms reduce their business risk by demanding greater flexibility of their workers, thereby exposing them to increased personal risk. This increased personal risk, in turn, is often converted into cost externalities shouldered by families, communities, and social insurance systems that step in. Though largely overlooked in existing debates in the philosophy of work, this perspective of risk is vital for understanding the distinctive impact of more. We observe that there has recently been a shift towards more flexible forms of employment, which is best illustrated by, but not limited to, the rise of the gig economy.. We observe that there has recently been a shift towards more flexible forms of employment, which is best illustrated by, but not limited to, the rise of the gig economy.8 We propose that this trend is best understood as a risk shift: the owners of firms reduce their business risk by demanding greater flexibility of their workers, thereby exposing them to increased personal risk.. We propose that this trend is best understood as a risk shift: the owners of firms reduce their business risk by demanding greater flexibility of their workers, thereby exposing them to increased personal risk.9 This increased personal risk, in turn, is often converted into cost externalities shouldered by families, communities, and social insurance systems that step in.. Flexible forms of employment: the exposure to risk is an important moral and political concern in its own right, complementary to the level of income, the meaningfulness or work, participation in the workplace, and the opportunity to make a social contribution and gain social recognition. Risks can be harmful even if they do not materialize—for instance, as we will argue below, by preventing people from developing and enacting long-term plans
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