Tag: Gig economy
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Globalized creative economies: rethinking local craft, provenance, and platform design
[By Laura Herman] Can you recognize your friends’ and family members’ hand gestures? People have distinctive gestures: maybe your friend clasps her hands when she’s nervous, your mom taps her fingers together when she’s excited, or your cousin wags two fingers when making an argument. Now, imagine local artisans who hand-make their wares. Their hand
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Will EdTech go the way of the gig economy?
[By Aditi Surie and Krishna Akhil] The forced push towards digitization of schooling-related activities due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated growth of Indian education technology (EdTech) companies. The sector plugs into and supplements the legacy of after-school tutoring and extracurricular activities by building businesses that take these services online. 80% of
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Ethical consumerism: Gig economy’s road ahead
[By Brinda Gupta] “PM Modi announces a 21-day nation-wide lockdown as COVID-19 toll touches 12” read the headlines of the Hindu newspaper on March 24th, 2020. Offices indefinitely closed, shops shut, and gatherings banned. People pushed into their homes, unknown of what will happen next. A mask, a sanitizer, and a six-foot distance became the
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No Woman’s Land: Female Cab Drivers On Indian Roads
[By Pallavi Bansal] The traditional taxis have always remained heavily male-dominated, but female drivers have always posed a serious threat to the long-established ideas of patriarchy and masculinity. “If you are driving, I need to check my insurance,” “Will you be able to reverse the car? And what about parking? Do you need me to
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“The support has to come from home”: Evidence-based assessment of platform work in India
[By Sreelakshmi Ramachandran] When considering the strategies for India’s economic rebound, it is imprudent to overlook the potential of the wider digital economy, as this all-pervasive technology has altered urban landscapes and living in the last decade in the country. An explosive combination of cheap handsets, lowest data costs in the world and rapid advances
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Centered but invisible – On the contradictions of service design at Urban Company
[By Sai Amulya Komarraju] Ting! A beauty worker checks her mobile. A ‘lead’ appears on her mobile screen from the platform service aggregator she has registered with. She accepts it, calls the customer through the platform that has helped her become a microentrepreneur, confirms the request and location of the customer and rides off to
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Tilting towards equality: Can nudges improve gender inclusion?
[By Helen Smith and Sharmi Surianarain] In the fight for greater gender equality and inclusion, governments, NGOs and other stakeholders are increasingly recognising the power of nudges to change human behaviour. The results are promising. Ever heard the question: “Would you like fries with your burger?” or “Do you want to supersize that drink?” You’ve
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“Side hustle” is not a swear word: How to make gigs work for young Africans
[By Sharmi Surianarain and Julia Taylor] Across the African continent, the concept of a “side hustle” is not new. Slow job growth, accompanied by a high number of labour market entrants, has meant that young people have for a long time been engaging in informal ‘side’ work to make ends meet. Young people in African
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Platform drivers: From algorithmizing humans to humanizing algorithms
[By Pallavi Bansal] I remember getting stranded in the middle of the road a few years ago when an Ola cab driver remarked that my trip had stopped abruptly and he could not take me to my destination. Frantic, I still requested him to drop me home, but he refused saying he cannot complete the
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Digital pessimism: Can we break out of the negativity loop?
[By René König] A few years ago, when I was in Cape Town, South Africa, I quickly learned that Uber rides were the best way to navigate the city. They seemed relatively affordable, quick, comfortable, reliable, and safe. But I was a little conflicted about my choice, being well-aware of the long list of scandals
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