Abstract
In the context of the debate on platform economy, on the one hand, and the gig economy, on the other, this paper delineates the conceptual boundaries of both concepts to query the gig economy research included in the Web of Science database. The initial search, cutoff date February 2020, targeting “gig economy” returned a sample of 378 papers dealing with the topic. The subsequent analysis, employing the science mapping method and relating software (SciMAT), allowed to query the body of research dealing with gig economy in detail. The value added by this paper is fourfold. First, the broad literature on gig economy is mapped and the nascent synergies relating both to research opportunities and economic implications are identified and highlighted. Second, the findings reveal that while research on gig economy proliferates, the distinction between “platform” and “gig” economy frequently remains blurred in the analysis. This paper elaborates on this issue. Third, it is highlighted that the discussion on gig economy is largely dispersed and a clearer research agenda is needed to streamline the discussion to improve its exploratory and explanatory potential. This paper suggests ways of navigating this issue. Fourth, by mapping the existing research on gig economy and highlighting its caveats, the way toward a comprehensive research agenda in the field is highlighted.
Highlights
IntroductionAdvances in sophisticated information and communication technology (ICT) are the key source of disruption, both positive and negative, in today’s politics, economy, and society [1,2]
For the purpose of the analysis presented in this paper, science mapping based on keyword co-occurrence analysis has been adopted, because it provides an insight into the content of the specific topics that are queried
Against the backdrop of the inroads of information and communication technology (ICT) in today’s economies and the resulting digitization and servitization of contemporary economies, the objective of this paper was to employ the method of science mapping to query the debate on gig economy [78]
Summary
Advances in sophisticated information and communication technology (ICT) are the key source of disruption, both positive and negative, in today’s politics, economy, and society [1,2]. One of the still nascent and, underexplored fields is the platform economy that denotes the possibility of connecting employers and employees via online digital platforms to accomplish very specific tasks of diverse degrees of complexity [3,4,5]. While literature on the technical aspects underlying the emergence of platform economy abounds [6,7,8], at this point, suffice it to say that blockchain and safe contracts are bound to introduce a new wave of advances in this domain, rendering the platform economy one of the key drivers of business activity in the economy; caveats certainly exist
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