Management & Workplace Culture Book of the Year, 2020 Porchlight
Business Book Awards
A Publishers Weekly Fall 2020 Big Indie Book
The dark side of the gig economy (Uber, Airbnb, etc.) and how to make
it equitable for the users and workers most exploited.
When the "sharing economy" launched a decade ago, proponents claimed
that it would transform the experience of work--giving earners
flexibility, autonomy, and a decent income. It was touted as a cure for
social isolation and rampant ecological degradation. But this novel form
of work soon sprouted a dark side: exploited Uber drivers, neighborhoods
ruined by Airbnb, racial discrimination, and rising carbon emissions.
Several of the most prominent platforms are now faced with existential
crises as they prioritize growth over fairness and long-term viability.
Nevertheless, the basic model--a peer-to-peer structure augmented by
digital tech--holds the potential to meet its original promises. Based
on nearly a decade of pioneering research, After the Gig dives into
what went wrong with this contemporary reimagining of labor. The book
examines multiple types of data from thirteen cases to identify the
unique features and potential of sharing platforms that prior research
has failed to pinpoint. Juliet B. Schor presents a compelling argument
that we can engineer a reboot: through regulatory reforms and
cooperative platforms owned and controlled by users, an equitable and
truly shared economy is still possible.
