Visible hands: How gig companies shape workers' exposure to market risk

2023/06/14 by Michael David Maffie, Michael Maffie · 1 citation
Business, Management and Accounting · Engineering · Social Sciences · #Digital Economy and Work Transformation #Sharing Economy and Platforms #Transportation and Mobility Innovations

paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/irel.12337

openalex publication_date 2023/06/14 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

Abstract How do gig platforms prevent workers from defecting to a competitor? Drawing on 40 original interviews and survey data from 210 ride‐hail drivers, the author finds that platform companies calibrate workers' exposure to market risk using gamified reward systems. These rewards protect compliant workers from changes in market conditions, raising the costs of accepting work from a competitor. Yet those who do not comply are “pushed” to the periphery, increasing their market risk. This article illustrates how platform companies can use their “visible hands” to harness and control market forces, shaping worker behavior within and across platforms.

Citations

• An Analysis of the Labor Market for Uber’s Driver-Partners in the United States
• Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies.
• Do the Hustle! Empowerment from Side-Hustles and Its Effects on Full-Time Work Performance
• What Do Platforms Do? Understanding the Gig Economy
• The Perils of Laundering Control through Customers: A Study of Control and Resistance in the Ride-hail Industry
• The Invisible Cage: Workers’ Reactivity to Opaque Algorithmic Evaluations

Cited by

• The Chains That Bind? Restrictive Covenants and Labor Market Entrants' Perceived Occupational Mobility

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