Introduction: The Policy Implications of Virtual Work

Meil, Pamela; Kirov, Vassil

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-52057-5_1

Cited by 7 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Both very pessimistic and optimistic scenarios predict the end of working as we know it: the former through the use of automation, robots, and algorithms, thereby making workers superfluous (Frey and Osborne 2017); the latter through a mix of technology and peerto-peer cooperation and collaboration, making traditional forms of organizing economies superfluous (Benkler 2006;Rifkin 2014). Digitalisation is nothing new; what is new is the pace and scope of technological change and its transformative potential (Meil and Kirov 2017). This process of digital transformation involves two main manifestations or organisational models, Industrie 4.0 (Industry 4.0) and platformisation.…”

Section: Regional Embeddednessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decent, Inclusive, and Green? Mission Impossible?

Kirov

2023

Social Sciences

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This article discusses the interconnection between the green transition and the digital transformation, known as the twin transition. The article analyses the specific role of digitalisation and its impact on a regional entrepreneurial ICT ecosystem in Sofia, Bulgaria, where the digital transformation has led to decent work in the ICT sector but is completely disconnected from the green transition. The article argues that these processes need a policy lever to develop in parallel with one another and connect, as they are rather disconnected.

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Section: Regional Embeddednessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decent, Inclusive, and Green? Mission Impossible?

Kirov

2023

Social Sciences

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“…These findings fit seamlessly with the analysis of other authors, such as Noronha and D'Cruz (2016), who traced for India how policies fostered the emergence of the Indian IT success model, or Wolff (2016), who uncovered the impact of regional policies on the emergence of a local IT market in Brazil. Hence, policy influences the establishment and distribution of digital work, and digital work and its consequences have an impact on policy regulations (Meil & Kirov, 2017).…”

Section: Geographies Of Digital Work: Context Mattersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Synopsis: How Space and Place Matter in the Context of Digital Work

Roth-Ebner

Will-Zocholl

2021

Topologies of Digital Work

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The evolution of digital information and communication technologies has had a large impact on the topologies of work. Contrary to popular belief, this does not lead to work becoming placeless. The contributions in this volume reveal that the geographical location and places of work still matter in the globalised and digitised world of work. Places are used more flexibly, and the geographical, political, cultural or knowledge aspects inscribed upon them remain effective.

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“…Meanwhile, app technology enables capital to find new ways to control the labour process, there are unclear or inconsistent indications from governments and courts on workers' employment status, and many firms and many workers insist on the benefits of flexibility for workers. Probably nowhere has the difficulty of making policy been more evident than in those areas newly infiltrated by digital technology (Meil & Kirov, 2017), though other factors in the rise of the platform economy have included consumer behaviour and globalization (Woodcock & Graham, 2020). Digital technology has brought about rapid changes in the relative market power of groups, individuals or corporations, and often made redundant policy measures that have been painstakingly introduced.…”

Section: The Platform Economymentioning

confidence: 99%

Institutional Experimentation, Directed Devolution and the Search for Policy Innovation

Peetz

2021

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One response to the employer’s search for “flexibility” (most evident in the “platform economy”) may be “institutional experimentation,” i.e., changes to institutions and how they relate to organizations and labour standards. Our question: “What form of institutional arrangement can best enable the lessons of policy experimentation to be learned and disseminated?” Under directed devolution, as proposed here, legal entitlements or obligations would be set at a higher level (say, a national jurisdiction). A lower level (“subsidiary bodies”) would be required to work out detailed implementation of those standards, with a view to protecting the affected workers’ interests. The subsidiary bodies might cover specific industries or groups of industries. They may need to be quite innovative. Results would be evaluated and ideas generated. By emphasizing flexibility and learning, directed devolution enables actors to learn from the experiments of other actors. One such example is the regulation of New York’s road passenger transport industry in 2019, a highly innovative attempt to convert a high-level time-based minimum standard into a practical, local solution. Directed devolution is a form of multi-level policy-making, with some similarities to the concept of subsidiarity, but more tightly integrated. Other relevant but distinct forms of multi-level bargaining include the ILO Conventions, the Bangladesh Accord and several forms of regulation adopted in Australia. Actors and policy-makers should have long-term strategies, be careful in their processes of selecting institutional members, and be prepared to deal with powerful opposition. Directed devolution can be useful wherever establishing enforceable general principles is important and can make a real difference, but there are complications with implementation if circumstances vary considerably among organizations or industries. Devolution can be achieved without losing enforceability, and this can be done without shifting power away from those with less power. Directed devolution is a complement to, not a substitute for, specific regulatory interventions.

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Introduction: The Policy Implications of Virtual Work

Cited by 7 publications

References 8 publications

Decent, Inclusive, and Green? Mission Impossible?

Decent, Inclusive, and Green? Mission Impossible?

Synopsis: How Space and Place Matter in the Context of Digital Work

Institutional Experimentation, Directed Devolution and the Search for Policy Innovation

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