Turning platform workers into owners

ESOP-type buyouts of labour-based platforms

Tej Gonza (Author), David P. Ellerman (Author)

Abstract

Platform work is often characterised by economic insecurity, dehumanising control procedures, isolation, deepening racial, economic and gender inequalities, and other socio-economic problems. There are lively debates underway concerned with how to regulate or limit the negative effects of platform capitalism. This article reviews two of the most common calls for action – regulation and platform co-operatives. We argue that there is also an unexplored, complementary option, which uses the network effects of platforms to provide greater benefits for platform workers. To understand this alternative, we introduce the American Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) mechanism for employee buyouts, redefine the model according to the main cooperative values, and apply it to the platform economy. We conclude that there is a third option is available to governments and municipalities, namely to require an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) in the local subsidiary of the platform company

Keywords

platform economy;platform cooperativism;worker buyouts;platform ESOP;

Data

Language:	English
Year of publishing:	2022
Typology:	1.01 - Original Scientific Article
Organization:	UL FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
UDC:	316.334.2:[331:004.774]
COBISS:	128600067
ISSN:	0040-3598
Views:	7
Downloads:	0
Average score:	0 (0 votes)
Metadata:

Other data

Secondary language:	Slovenian
Secondary title:	Od platformnih delavcev do lastnikov
Secondary abstract:	Platformno delo je označeno z ekonomsko negotovostjo, nečloveškimi mehanizmi nadzora, izolacijo, poglabljanjem rasnih, ekonomskih in spolnih neenakosti ter z drugimi družbeno-ekonomskimi problemi. Kritiki vztrajajo glede potrebe po zmanjševanju negativnih družbenih posledic platformnega dela. Obstoječi članek povzame dve glavni ideji, tj. regulacijo platformnega dela in alternativo v zadružni organizaciji. Trdimo, da obstaja neraziskana komplementarna možnost, ki izkoristi t. i. mrežne učinke platformnega gospodarstva in zagotovi več dobrobiti za platformne delavce. Alternativa je vključevanje platformnih delavcev v solastništv
Secondary keywords:	platformno gospodarstvo;platformni kooperativizem;delavski odkupi;platformni ESOP;Internet na delovnem mestu;Delavsko soupravljanje;Podjetja;Zaposleni;
Type (COBISS):	Article
Pages:	str. 665-681, 785
Volume:	ǂLetn. ǂ59
Issue:	ǂšt. ǂ3
Chronology:	jul.-sep. 2022
DOI:	10.51936/tip.59.3.665–681
ID:	17332119