Platform Workers In Global Production Networks

Drawing from research in the fields of industrial relations, HRM, global political economy and the sociology of work and employment, the project will explore the extent to which platform workers are involved in global production networks. The aim will be to develop an understanding of workers' position in global production networks and patterns of outsourcing, workers' experiences of such employment, wider employment relations and the degree to which existing governance mechanisms are able to regulate such employment. In considering the conditions of such workers employment, attention will focus on issues such as skills and wages.
The project looks at platform labour in the context of global production chains. To explore this topic will require an interdisciplinary lens. The literature of global value chains is diverse and cuts across business and management, economics and labour geography. Likewise, literature on platform labour cuts across numerous academic disciplines, including employment relations, sociology, employment law, economics and labour geography. Key points of interest include the economic organisation of business (ie employer form), labour contracts and conditions of work and legal issues related to the governance of business and labour standards, all of which draw in diverse areas of academic interest.