Driving the digital value network: Economic geographies of global platform capitalism
Howson, Kelle; Ferrari, Fabian; Ustek-Spilda, Funda; Salem, Nancy; Johnston, Hannah; Katta, Srujana; Heeks, Richard; Graham, Mark
(2022) Global Networks, volume 22, issue 4, pp. 631 - 648
(Article)
Abstract
This paper applies insights from global value chains (GVC)/global production networks (GPN) frameworks to explore the economic geographies brought into being by digital labour platforms. In particular, these perspectives facilitate analyses of power imbalances and value extraction across territories—an under-theorized aspect within platform studies. We theorize this dynamic by introducing
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the descriptor ‘digital value network’ (DVN): a digitally mediated nexus of platform operations that produce and distribute value between territories, on the basis of labour transactions. Empirically, we draw on a multi-year action research project, assessing the operations of platforms and the experiences of platform workers in 54 countries. Our analysis highlights that platforms as lead firms extend GVC/GPN logics of coordination and drivenness in DVN to (i) optimize production capabilities while externalizing ownership and costs, (ii) accumulate both monetary and non-monetary forms of value, and (iii) concentrate power at the global scale in both existing and new sectors.
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Keywords: digital labour platforms, embeddedness, gig economy, global production networks, global value chains, value
ISSN: 1470-2266
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
Note: Funding Information: This study reports on work done as part of the Fairwork project, funded by the UK's Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) (Grant No. ES/S00081X/1), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH (Contract no. 81248926), the European Research Council (ERC) (Grant no. 838081), and the OX/BER Research Partnership Seed Funding Fund (OXBER_SOC3). Fabian Ferrari's work was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) under grant ES/P000649/1, studentship number 2094254, as part of the Grand Union Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) and the University of Oxford (Scatcherd European Scholarship). Ethical approval for this research was granted by the University of Oxford. The Fairwork Project spans teams in more than 25 countries, and this paper was made possible by a large network of researchers: Daniel Abs, Iftikhar Ahmad, María Belén Albornoz, Moritz Altenried, Paula Alves, Oğuz Alyanak, Branka Andjelkovic, Thomas Anning Dorson, Arturo Arriagada, Daniel Arubayi, Tat Chor Au‐Yeung, Alessio Bertolini, Louise Bezuidenhout, Gautam Bhatia, Richard Boateng, Manuela Bojadzijev, Macarena Bonhomme, Maren Borkert, Joseph Budu, Rodrigo Carelli, Henry Chavez, Sonata Cepik, Aradhana Cherupara Vadekkethil, Chris King Chi Chan, Matthew Cole, Paska Darmawan, Markieta Domecka, Darcy du Toit, Veena Dubal, Trevilliana Eka Putri, Fabian Ferrari, Patrick Feuerstein, Roseli Figaro, Milena Franke, Sandra Fredman, Pia Garavaglia, Farah Ghazal, Anita Ghazi Rahman, Shikoh Gitau, Slobodan Golusin, Mark Graham, Markus Griesser, Rafael Grohman, Martin Gruber‐Risak, Sayema Haque Bidisha, Khadiga Hassan, Richard Heeks, Mabel Rocío Hernández Díaz, Luis Jorge Hernández Flores, Benjamin Herr, Salma Hindy, Kelle Howson, Francisco Ibáñez, Sehrish Irfan, Tanja Jakobi, Athar Jameel, Hannah Johnston, Srujana Katta, Maja Kovac, Martin Krzywdzinski, Larry Kwan, Sebastian Lew, Jorge Leyton, Oscar Javier Maldonado, Shabana Malik, Laura Clemencia Mantilla León, Claudia Marà, Évilin Matos, Sabrina Mustabin Jaigirdar, Tasnim Mustaque, Baraka Mwaura, Mounika Neerukonda, Sidra Nizamuddin, Sanna Ojanperä, Caroline Omware, Adel Osama, Balaji Parthasarathy, Leonhard Plank, Valeria Pulignano, Jack Qui, Ananya Raihan, Pablo Aguera Reneses, Nabiyla Risfa Izzati, Nagla Rizk, Cheryll Ruth Soriano, Nancy Salem, Julice Salvagni, Derly Yohanna Sánchez Vargas, Kanikka Sersia, Murali Shanmugavelan, Shanza Sohail, Janaki Srinivasan, Shelly Steward, Zuly Bibiana Suárez Morales, Sophie Sun, David Sutcliffe, Pradyumna Taduri, Kristin Thompson, Pitso Tsibolane, Anna Tsui, Funda Ustek‐Spilda, Jean‐Paul Van Belle, Laura Vogel, Zoya Waheed, Jing Wang, Robbie Warin, Nadine Weheba, and Yihan Zhu. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Authors. Global Networks published by Global Networks Partnership and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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