Designing digital system to support participation and democratic practice within trade unions in the age of platform capitalism
Lead Research Organisation:
Newcastle University
Department Name: Sch of Computing
Abstract
My research seeks to explore the following Research Questions:
1. What are the challenges and barriers to participation are faced by members of trade unions in organising in the gig economy?
2. How can design and technology increase participation amongst trade union members organizing in the gig economy?
3. How can design and technology support democratic accountability mechanisms within trade unions organizing in the gig economy?
The gig economy and platform capitalism, have changed the nature of work. The changes in employment have resulted in a growing imbalance between those who complete the work in the digital economy and those who own the platforms they work on. In the past workers have relied on the mainstream Trades Union Congress (TUC) affiliated trade unions to exercise collective power and bring about positive change. However the changing nature work and the diminishing role and influence of the mainstream trade union movement have seen workers have come together to express collective power in new non TUC affiliated trade unions.
Human Computer Interaction (HCI) researchers have shown-that for many workers part of working in the digital economy involves being subject to power imbalances that contribute to the social harm and human cost that is related to work in the digital economy.
HCI researchers have worked with various groups-from local government institutional partners to organisations in the third sector and NGOs- to co-create and co-produce new and novel technology. However previous research with those working in the digital economy to produce technology is limited. Often the platforms used and the technologies used are produced for workers- not with workers. Resulting in systems that exist to produce profit at the expense of those who complete the work. This exacerbates the human cost of the platforms and contributes negatively to major societal issues.
This PhD aims to produce novel technologies that have been co-designed with workers within the 'gig economy' who are members of a trade union that represents those who work in the digital economy.
Members of the trade union are in branches for their particular industry and take part in campaigns and actions that are based around the company they work for. The levels of participation beyond individual campaigns is limited. This research aims to understand the barriers to participation and respond to the issues uncovered using novel digital technologies to address the factors that limit access to the democratic structures that are accountable to them.
This PhD will explore how novel digital technology can be used to increase participation and strengthen democratic accountability within trade unions. By partnering with a trade union engaged in organising workers in the digital economy, this PhD aims to design novel digital systems that support the rank and file membership express democratic power within their organisation. This PhD will work with members of a trade union to design and implement systems that enable members to take part in the decision making processes of the trade union. This works aims to produce systems that reduce distance between workers and the structures that represent them and increase the efficacy of accountability mechanisms.
1. What are the challenges and barriers to participation are faced by members of trade unions in organising in the gig economy?
2. How can design and technology increase participation amongst trade union members organizing in the gig economy?
3. How can design and technology support democratic accountability mechanisms within trade unions organizing in the gig economy?
The gig economy and platform capitalism, have changed the nature of work. The changes in employment have resulted in a growing imbalance between those who complete the work in the digital economy and those who own the platforms they work on. In the past workers have relied on the mainstream Trades Union Congress (TUC) affiliated trade unions to exercise collective power and bring about positive change. However the changing nature work and the diminishing role and influence of the mainstream trade union movement have seen workers have come together to express collective power in new non TUC affiliated trade unions.
Human Computer Interaction (HCI) researchers have shown-that for many workers part of working in the digital economy involves being subject to power imbalances that contribute to the social harm and human cost that is related to work in the digital economy.
HCI researchers have worked with various groups-from local government institutional partners to organisations in the third sector and NGOs- to co-create and co-produce new and novel technology. However previous research with those working in the digital economy to produce technology is limited. Often the platforms used and the technologies used are produced for workers- not with workers. Resulting in systems that exist to produce profit at the expense of those who complete the work. This exacerbates the human cost of the platforms and contributes negatively to major societal issues.
This PhD aims to produce novel technologies that have been co-designed with workers within the 'gig economy' who are members of a trade union that represents those who work in the digital economy.
Members of the trade union are in branches for their particular industry and take part in campaigns and actions that are based around the company they work for. The levels of participation beyond individual campaigns is limited. This research aims to understand the barriers to participation and respond to the issues uncovered using novel digital technologies to address the factors that limit access to the democratic structures that are accountable to them.
This PhD will explore how novel digital technology can be used to increase participation and strengthen democratic accountability within trade unions. By partnering with a trade union engaged in organising workers in the digital economy, this PhD aims to design novel digital systems that support the rank and file membership express democratic power within their organisation. This PhD will work with members of a trade union to design and implement systems that enable members to take part in the decision making processes of the trade union. This works aims to produce systems that reduce distance between workers and the structures that represent them and increase the efficacy of accountability mechanisms.
Planned Impact
The proposed CDT for Digital Civics aims to develop a cohort of 60+ students engaged in theorising, designing, developing, and evaluating personal & community-based digital technologies to explore and create forms of civic engagement that support local communities, local service provision, and local democracy. The CDT will work directly with several local authorities (in the Northeast of England), a variety of SMEs and NGOs and some larger international corporations. As such there are various potential beneficiaries of the CDT.
Firstly, there are the students themselves who will graduate as highly skilled academic and applied researchers - well-versed in interdisciplinary collaboration and trained to transfer, leverage and exploit the insight generated from their research and who are able to contribute to the economic and social development of the UK.
The research they will conduct will be focused on supporting local communities, and given the aim to enhance public service provision and support engagement in local issues. It is likely that their research will enhance quality of life, health and wellbeing in these areas, improve social welfare and social cohesion in the participating communities and generally increase public awareness of social and economic issues that are likely to be affecting these research participants, and this will be done at various levels from older adults through to school-aged communities.
The research is also intended to have impact at a Government level, and through our direct collaboration with our participating local authority partners student research projects will directly influence policy making at local, regional and national levels. Case-based research will transform evidence-based policy, and provide evidence to support changing organisational cultures and practices (for example enhancing the role of public participation in local governance) and through shaping and enhancing the effectiveness of public services, by directly designing and developing digital augmentations. As such the research projects directly intend to enhance the efficiency, performance and sustainability of public services through the user-centred development of new digital technologies and the promotion of local activism and civic engagement.
Another significant impact of the CDT will be the development and training of skilled people in non-academic professions through the development and open-sourcing of learning materials, which aim to transfer research insight (including skills and processes as much as research 'findings') to non-academic organisations, such as SMEs, NGOs and larger corporations (sourced through our broad partner network). These SMEs, NGOs and corporations (alongside the doctoral students themselves) are also likely to be commercial beneficiaries of the research. Active processes of knowledge transfer will directly contribute towards wealth creation and economic prosperity by supporting the enhancement of research capacity, knowledge and skills in businesses and organisations and through the commercialisation of research in the formation of spin-out companies to serve the private, public and third sectors.
Firstly, there are the students themselves who will graduate as highly skilled academic and applied researchers - well-versed in interdisciplinary collaboration and trained to transfer, leverage and exploit the insight generated from their research and who are able to contribute to the economic and social development of the UK.
The research they will conduct will be focused on supporting local communities, and given the aim to enhance public service provision and support engagement in local issues. It is likely that their research will enhance quality of life, health and wellbeing in these areas, improve social welfare and social cohesion in the participating communities and generally increase public awareness of social and economic issues that are likely to be affecting these research participants, and this will be done at various levels from older adults through to school-aged communities.
The research is also intended to have impact at a Government level, and through our direct collaboration with our participating local authority partners student research projects will directly influence policy making at local, regional and national levels. Case-based research will transform evidence-based policy, and provide evidence to support changing organisational cultures and practices (for example enhancing the role of public participation in local governance) and through shaping and enhancing the effectiveness of public services, by directly designing and developing digital augmentations. As such the research projects directly intend to enhance the efficiency, performance and sustainability of public services through the user-centred development of new digital technologies and the promotion of local activism and civic engagement.
Another significant impact of the CDT will be the development and training of skilled people in non-academic professions through the development and open-sourcing of learning materials, which aim to transfer research insight (including skills and processes as much as research 'findings') to non-academic organisations, such as SMEs, NGOs and larger corporations (sourced through our broad partner network). These SMEs, NGOs and corporations (alongside the doctoral students themselves) are also likely to be commercial beneficiaries of the research. Active processes of knowledge transfer will directly contribute towards wealth creation and economic prosperity by supporting the enhancement of research capacity, knowledge and skills in businesses and organisations and through the commercialisation of research in the formation of spin-out companies to serve the private, public and third sectors.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Patrick Olivier (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Mohaan Biswas (Student) |