Uber and employment in the Global South – not-so-decent work

Giddy, Julia Kathryn

doi:10.1080/14616688.2021.1931955

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…RHPs provide various efficiencies to the existing service delivery ecosystem, (Zou, 2017; Giddy, 2021; Heeks et al , 2021) whereas critics raise concerns about their legitimacy. The question of the legitimacy of RHPs is not straightforward.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of ride-hailing platforms regulations in India: a multi-level perspective

Verma,

Ilavarasan,

Kar

2024

DPRG

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Purpose Digital platforms (DP) are transforming service delivery and affecting associated actors. The position of DPs is impacted by the regulations. However, emerging economies often lack the regulatory environment to support DPs. This paper aims to explore the regulatory developments for DPs using the multi-level perspective (MLP). Design/methodology/approach The paper explores regulatory developments of ride-hailing platforms (RHPs) in India and their impacts. This study uses qualitative interview data from platform representatives, bureaucrats, drivers, experts and policy documents. Findings Regulatory developments in the ride-hailing space cannot be explained as a linear progression. The static institutional assumptions, especially without considering the multi-actors and multi-levels in policy formulation, do not serve associated actors adequately in different times and spaces. The RHPs regulations must consider the perspective of new RHPs and the support available to them. Non-consideration of short- and long-term perspectives of RHPs may have unequal outcomes for established and new RHPs. Research limitations/implications This research has implications for the digital economy regulatory ecosystem, DPs and implications for policymakers. Though the data from legal documents and qualitative interviews is adequate, transactional data from the RHPs and interviews with judiciary actors would have been insightful. Practical implications The study provides insights into critical aspects of regulatory evolution, governance and regulatory impact on the DPs’ ecosystem. The right balance of regulations according to the business models of DPs allows DPs to have space for growth and development of the platform ecosystem. Social implications This research shows the interactions in the digital space and how regulations can impact various actors. A balanced policy can guide the paths of DPs to have equal opportunities. Originality/value DP regulations have a complex structure. The paper studies regulatory developments of DPs and the impacts of governance and controls on associated players and platform ecosystems.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of ride-hailing platforms regulations in India: a multi-level perspective

Verma,

Ilavarasan,

Kar

2024

DPRG

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“…Within Southern scholarship, platform urban economies have been usefully theorized against labor, and financial and regulatory practices that are unique to the reality of Southern cities. This has broadened the rubric of platform urbanism, showing how, especially in mobility economies, the rise of platforms has been "characterized by a dialectic of proliferation, mutation, and consolidation" (Stehlin et al, 2020(Stehlin et al, : 1251, while shoring up the contingent histories through which digital apps interface informal economies, various forms of political organization, and diverse speculations about African urban futures (e.g., Amorim & Moda, 2020;Arubayi, 2021;Doherty, 2022;Frey, 2020;Giddy, 2021;Pollio, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Silicon Savannahs and motorcycle taxis: A Southern perspective on the frontiers of platform urbanism

et al. 2023

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The rise of digital platforms in urban Africa has been rightfully critiqued as an example of global techno-capital seeking new frontiers of profit among precarious lives and from fragile infrastructures. However, this techno-pessimistic reading of so-called “platform urbanism” leaves us with a bleak outlook on the future of the African city as a mere site of accumulation and exploitation. In this article, in contrast, we offer a more ambivalent analysis of a compelling trend in several African cities: the platformization of motorcycle taxis. Our focus is on Kigali and Nairobi two cities that have been celebrated as “Silicon Savannahs” for their commitment to digital innovation, and where motorcycle taxis have long contributed to the regular movement of people and goods. Deploying a Southern urban perspective on the digitization of these mobility systems, we make two contributions to platform urbanism debates. First, we show that this phenomenon dovetails two decades of supply-side, developmental investments in the connectivity infrastructure upon which platforms rely and are predicated. Second, we show that platform urbanism is not simply a case of global technologies landing in Africa. It is characterized by a proliferation of experiments in which domestic and international capital coalesce, platforms intersect in dynamic ways with informal economies, and local adaptations are necessary for survival. Overall, we argue that the platformization of motorcycles in these cities (and arguably others) constitutes a dynamic and evolving landscape that requires more careful conceptual and empirical attention.

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