Competition in online job marketplaces: towards a global labour market for outsourcing services?

Beerepoot, Niels; Lambregts, Bart

doi:10.1111/glob.12051

Cited by 110 publications

(124 citation statements)

References 24 publications

(33 reference statements)

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“…There is no consensus in the scientific debate so far about how global online outsourcing via Internet platforms should be termed and how its core features are thus to be characterised. While crowdsourcing and crowd work have emerged as the dominant terms in this discourse, several alternative categories are used as well, particularly online labour (Beerepoot and Lambregts, ), on‐demand work (De Stefano, ), online outsourcing (Kuek et al ., ) or gig economy (Graham et al ., ). In this paper, crowdsourcing of paid work will be called online labour and the workers will be referred to as online workforce.…”

Section: Global Online Labourmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…texts and graphics). Within this scope, online labour bears unforeseen potential (Beerepoot and Lambregts, ). If tasks can be commissioned and results delivered entirely online, this digital labour market stretches across the entire globe to any point where Internet service is available.…”

Section: Global Online Labourmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bergvall‐Kareborn and Howcroft, ; for a comparative analysis, see Vakharia and Lease, ). Beerepoot and Lambregts’ () analysis of user profiles of oDesk (now Upwork) in 2013 spots a bulk of routine tasks with low hourly rates of compensation along with high variations of wages according to task (web development vs. administrative support) and nationality (Western vs. non‐Western). Lehdonvirta et al .…”

Section: Analytical Perspectives On the Social Construction Of Onlinementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our empirical findings indicate a continuum of visibility in the online labour market: the more complex the jobs are, the more space platforms give workers for self‐presentations, while only broad categories are provided for simple and standardised tasks (cf. Beerepoot and Lambregts, , 246). In contrast with the invisibility that has been attributed to microtasks on AMT, personal profiles on specialised and freelance platforms grant online workers a considerable degree of individual visibility within a competitive workforce.…”

Section: Job Proficiency As a Normative Standard In A Highly Competitmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Of crowds and talents: discursive constructions of global online labour

Pongratz¹

2018

New Technol Work Employ

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Online platforms not only serve to exchange information and goods but increasingly also service work provided by the self‐employed. The emergence of crowdsourcing of paid work has created a global market for online labour where services can be fully acquired and provided irrespective of location via platforms such as upwork.com or freelancer.com. Drawing on a content analysis of the websites of 44 globally operating platforms, this study has investigated the discursive construction of this new type of labour market. The findings show that platforms address the online workforce in different ways, for instance, as workers or freelancers. Contrary to their blanket characterisation as an anonymous crowd in previous academic debate, in most cases, online workers are forced to present themselves as talented experts to distinguish themselves from the mass of competitors. The control over online labour that these platforms exercise challenges existing conceptions of professionalism and self‐employment.

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Section: Global Online Labourmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Global Online Labourmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Analytical Perspectives On the Social Construction Of Onlinementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Job Proficiency As a Normative Standard In A Highly Competitmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Of crowds and talents: discursive constructions of global online labour

Pongratz¹

2018

New Technol Work Employ

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“…First, the introduction and expansion of new digital information flows, services, and networks may alter the economic value distribution within production networks. Second, we are seeing new types of 'digital production network' emerging in areas like online services, knowledge work and web production (Beerepoot and Lambregts 2015;Lehdonvirta et al 2015). 'Digital production networks' are often still at nascent states, so significant research needs to be done to understand the concept of value in such networks (Löfgren 2003;Terranova 2000).…”

Section: Valuementioning

confidence: 99%

Reconsidering the role of the digital in global production networks

Foster

Graham

2016

Global Networks

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Global production networks (GPNs) have become a key framework in conceptualizing linkages, power and structure in globalized production. However, this framework has been less successful in integrating the influence of digital information and ICTs in production, and this problematic in a world where relationships and power are increasingly mediated by digital information flows and resources. We thus look to adapt the GPN framework to allow more substantive analysis of 'the digital'. Primarily, this is done through a theoretical analysis of the three core categories of the GPN framework -embeddedness, value and networksto highlight how these categories can better integrate a more dynamic and contested conceptualization of the digital. Illustrations from research on the digitalization of tea sector GPNs in East Africa highlight how these theoretical advances provide new insights on the digital and its expanding role in economic production. Keywords GLOBAL PRODUCTION NETWORKS, INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY, INTERNET, NETWORK SOCIETY, SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAGlobal production networks (GPNs) have become a key framework in conceptualizing linkages and crucially uneven power and structure in globalized production (Coe and Yeung 2015;Henderson et al. 2002). The GPN framework explores the economic relations of actors directly involved in economic production, as well as a wider gamut of networked relationships, institutions and policy that orientate the forms and practices of production.This article originates from research exploring changing practices around digital information flows, digital data and information and communication technologies Reconsidering the role of the digital in global production networks© 2016 The Author(s) 69 (ICTs) in production -we will refer to this socio-technical bundle of activities as 'the digital' (as outlined in the next section). In previous research we explored the impacts that the digital might play in reconfiguring production, with a particular interest on lowincome producers in the Global South.Initially, the GPN framework seemed an appropriate choice. It would allow us to conceptualize the broader relationships and power related to the producers we were examining, and it would form a basis for understanding how the digital might disrupt economic structures and relationships. Yet, in practice, in its current form, we found that the GPN framework provided only limited analytical value in our investigations.As has been detailed elsewhere Graham 2015b, 2015c; Waema and Katua 2014), our empirical research findings have suggested that the digital is an increasingly contested element of production. Active exclusionary practices have led to overt contestation around access to digital information flows, and services (for example where agri-business actors make it difficult for smallholder farmers to access information resources). Meanwhile, less visible affordances and functioning of ICTs and digital software subtly reinforce the disadvantages that small firms have (for exampl...

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ICT4D 3.0? Part 2—The patterns of an emerging “digital‐for‐development” paradigm

Heeks

2020

E J Info Sys Dev Countries

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There is evidence of "ICT4D 3.0": a new "digital-for-development" paradigm emerging in the relationship between digital technologies and international development.Part 1 of this paper looked at the component parts of that paradigm. Part 2, provided here, analyses the impact of the paradigm on development. It does this by looking for big-picture patterns in terms of two key logics that shape society: the logic of competition and the logic of cooperation. Looking at evidence in the economic and political domains, it finds that digital technologies are associated with a reproduction, diffusion, mutation and intensification of the dominant, competitive logic in developing countries. We see this in relation to capitalism, competitive markets and hierarchical state-citizen relations. At the same time, though, the digital-for-development paradigm is also associated with growing examples and opportunities for an alternative economics and an alternative politics based around cooperative logic. The paper ends with some suggestions for the future digital-for-development research agenda.ICT4D, digital-for-development, paradigm, trends, logics | INTRODUCTIONAs argued in Part 1 of this two-part paper, there is evidence of a new relationship between digital technologies and international development. It was suggested this might be called a "digital-for-development" paradigm, which could be understood through the framework shown in Figure 1.Part 1 laid out the components of that emerging paradigm: what were called its "foundations" and "building blocks." In this part of the paper, I look at the impact and implications of the paradigm; particularly seeking to understand some of its big-picture patterns in relation to two fundamental guiding forces for human society: competitive logic and cooperative logic.First, this paper briefly explains these two logics as the basis for viewing the impact of a digital-for-development paradigm. The main weight of the paper is then given to looking at evidence for five patterns of relation between the two logics: seen first in evidence from the digital economy and second in evidence about the intersection between digital technologies and politics in developing countries. The paper ends with a short conclusion and reflection on elements of a digital-for-development research agenda. | IMPACT OF THE DIGITAL-FOR-DEVELOPMENT PARADIGMThe impact of digital information and communication technologies (ICTs) on international development can be considered at the micro-level of the individual. There is, for example, an ongoing stream of evidence conceptualising this through one or more of three lenses (Heeks, 2014):• Economic: development as accumulation of financial capital.

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Competition in online job marketplaces: towards a global labour market for outsourcing services?

Cited by 110 publications

References 24 publications

Of crowds and talents: discursive constructions of global online labour

Of crowds and talents: discursive constructions of global online labour

Reconsidering the role of the digital in global production networks

ICT4D 3.0? Part 2—The patterns of an emerging “digital‐for‐development” paradigm

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