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Publication

Tackling social disruption in the online platform economy

Author: Sacha Garben

• digital economy
• Digitalisation
• platform economy

The platform economy is growing, but too often platforms' main competitive advantage seems to be regulatory arbitrage. Profits are generated over the back of individual worker’s well-being and the welfare state’s sustainability. In this paper, Professor Garben explores the precarious nature of much platform work, and invites us to look behind facile narratives of innovation promoted by many platforms. She explains that current rules at national and EU level do not provide the security platform workers deserve, and suggests a holistic update of EU rules on atypical work to improve their labour conditions.

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