Putting the platform economy in its place: contested regulatory terrains

The so-called gig economy has diffused throughout the world, putting current employment regulations frameworks to the test. Initially hailed by both policymakers and platform owners alike as a novel way to generate jobs whilst guaranteeing flexibility and autonomy in work, it later became clear that the gig economy fosters some of the most precarious and insecure forms of work and generate new forms of worker subordination. Many countries have begun to introduce policy changes in reaction to these issues, though reforms have a long way to go. This chapter discusses the emergent labour market policy themes associated with gig work, analysing the variegated regulatory changes across four affluent democracies. It shows that the existing institutional frameworks and regulatory traditions help explain the policy reforms observed, though more political factors, as well as regulations from outside the labour market, also shape policy outcomes in important ways.