The rise of digital labour platforms and the gig economy has provoked debate among scholars and p... more The rise of digital labour platforms and the gig economy has provoked debate among scholars and policymakers. Some emphasize the platforms' contribution to efficient labour processes by facilitating transactions between customers and service providers. In contrast, others highlight the precarity of gig work in platforms and call for greater regulation of the platform economy. This article reports a field study on the experience of Turkish platform workers in the domestic work and home repair sectors, focusing on the growing platform Armut. The impact of the platform economy on labour processes is explored, with particular attention to the concepts of autonomy and control with reference to alternative perspectives on labour platforms and the gig economy.
International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 2023
Purpose-The paper brings Foucauldian analysis of neoliberal governmentality in the discussion on ... more Purpose-The paper brings Foucauldian analysis of neoliberal governmentality in the discussion on the new forms of labour control within digital labour platforms. The aim of the paper is to reveal the effect of control mechanisms employed by platforms on "entrepreneurial self" within the context of work relations. Design/methodology/approach-Drawing on in-depth interviews, conducted with workers under different service categories, the author undertook an extended case study of Armut.com, a digital labour platform operating in Turkey. Findings-The study finds that competitive mechanisms employed by the platform have a considerable effect on worker self-commercialisation and self-rationalisation. This is dependent on different control mechanisms employed by the platform, based on different platform working models. Originality/value-The research brings the worker subjectivities to the discussion of control within the scope of digital labour platforms. By undertaking a rare empirical study on this issue, it contributes to the theory of entrepreneurial self within the scope of work relations.
Neoliberal policies in higher education in Turkey started after the 1980s and manifested in manag... more Neoliberal policies in higher education in Turkey started after the 1980s and manifested in managerial practices since the 2000s. This trend resulted in the commercialization of higher education and the increased managerial control over academic activity. The purpose of the paper is to study managerialism on the policies of the Council of Higher Education (Yükseköğretim Kurulu, hereafter YÖK) and its practices in universities in Turkey. The implementation of quality assurance policies through YÖK is a key component in understanding managerialism in the university context. The paper is based on documentary analysis of quality assurance regulations as well as internal quality assurance reports of Middle East Technical University (Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, hereafter ODTÜ). Documentary analysis gave us the opportunity to track the historical course of quality assurance policies and practices. We find out that managerial policies and practices are on the rise during the last two dec...
Türkiye'de platform ekonomisi ve emeği hakkında yapılan çalışmaları öne çıkarmak ve çalışan akade... more Türkiye'de platform ekonomisi ve emeği hakkında yapılan çalışmaları öne çıkarmak ve çalışan akademisyenleri bir araya getirmek için 8 Haziran 2024 tarihinde, Bilgi Üniversitesi Uluslararası Politik Ekonomi Programı’nın desteğiyle “Türkiye’de Platform Ekonomisi ve Emeği” konferansını düzenliyoruz. Platform ekonomisi, “gig” emeği, bağımsız ve uzaktan çalışma platformları, paylaşım ekonomisi, yaratıcı ekonomi alanlarında çalışan veya bu alanlardaki çalışmalardan haberdar olmak isteyen herkesi bize katılmaya davet ediyoruz.
The rise of digital labour platforms and the gig economy has provoked debate among scholars and p... more The rise of digital labour platforms and the gig economy has provoked debate among scholars and policymakers. Some emphasize the platforms' contribution to efficient labour processes by facilitating transactions between customers and service providers. In contrast, others highlight the precarity of gig work in platforms and call for greater regulation of the platform economy. This article reports a field study on the experience of Turkish platform workers in the domestic work and home repair sectors, focusing on the growing platform Armut. The impact of the platform economy on labour processes is explored, with particular attention to the concepts of autonomy and control with reference to alternative perspectives on labour platforms and the gig economy.
International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 2023
Purpose-The paper brings Foucauldian analysis of neoliberal governmentality in the discussion on ... more Purpose-The paper brings Foucauldian analysis of neoliberal governmentality in the discussion on the new forms of labour control within digital labour platforms. The aim of the paper is to reveal the effect of control mechanisms employed by platforms on "entrepreneurial self" within the context of work relations. Design/methodology/approach-Drawing on in-depth interviews, conducted with workers under different service categories, the author undertook an extended case study of Armut.com, a digital labour platform operating in Turkey. Findings-The study finds that competitive mechanisms employed by the platform have a considerable effect on worker self-commercialisation and self-rationalisation. This is dependent on different control mechanisms employed by the platform, based on different platform working models. Originality/value-The research brings the worker subjectivities to the discussion of control within the scope of digital labour platforms. By undertaking a rare empirical study on this issue, it contributes to the theory of entrepreneurial self within the scope of work relations.
Neoliberal policies in higher education in Turkey started after the 1980s and manifested in manag... more Neoliberal policies in higher education in Turkey started after the 1980s and manifested in managerial practices since the 2000s. This trend resulted in the commercialization of higher education and the increased managerial control over academic activity. The purpose of the paper is to study managerialism on the policies of the Council of Higher Education (Yükseköğretim Kurulu, hereafter YÖK) and its practices in universities in Turkey. The implementation of quality assurance policies through YÖK is a key component in understanding managerialism in the university context. The paper is based on documentary analysis of quality assurance regulations as well as internal quality assurance reports of Middle East Technical University (Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, hereafter ODTÜ). Documentary analysis gave us the opportunity to track the historical course of quality assurance policies and practices. We find out that managerial policies and practices are on the rise during the last two dec...
Türkiye'de platform ekonomisi ve emeği hakkında yapılan çalışmaları öne çıkarmak ve çalışan akade... more Türkiye'de platform ekonomisi ve emeği hakkında yapılan çalışmaları öne çıkarmak ve çalışan akademisyenleri bir araya getirmek için 8 Haziran 2024 tarihinde, Bilgi Üniversitesi Uluslararası Politik Ekonomi Programı’nın desteğiyle “Türkiye’de Platform Ekonomisi ve Emeği” konferansını düzenliyoruz. Platform ekonomisi, “gig” emeği, bağımsız ve uzaktan çalışma platformları, paylaşım ekonomisi, yaratıcı ekonomi alanlarında çalışan veya bu alanlardaki çalışmalardan haberdar olmak isteyen herkesi bize katılmaya davet ediyoruz.
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