Understanding experiences of platform economy workers in a developing country: the case of Yandex go in Uzbekistan

Diplôme Master Understanding experiences of platform economy workers in a developing country: the case of Yandex go in Uzbekistan eng 2022-01-13 author Museyibzada Jovhar 925102 director Mueller Lucas 0000-0002-7774-3625 921601 Sociologists, economists, and computer-supported collaborative work (CSCW) researchers have become interested in platform economy as a new form of economic relation in which intermediary digital platforms take over the decision-making process and human resource management, while pushing service-providers (workers) into grey areas of labor regulations where their status does not conform to a binary divide of employee or self-employed. This thesis sets out to examine the impact of technologically-mediated work on the ride-hailing platform workers by taking the developing country case into account that will help to find answers to in what form this impact manifests itself under the realities of the developing market. In this thesis, the qualitative case study of Yandex Go in Uzbekistan is used as a research design, and semi-structured interview and survey methods are adopted for data collection. The thesis investigates how drivers experience algorithmic management and precarity aspects of the platform economy, using empirical data drawn from interviews and a survey with Yandex Go drivers, and concepts from the platform economy to contextualize and embed findings into the currently unfolding discourse on the platform economy. The findings illustrate that the presence of the algorithm-led performance evaluation system, driver categorization, ride assignments, limited information provision, unilateral and dynamic pricing model impact drivers negatively. In spite of the negative impact of the algorithmic management, drivers are overall ‘satisficed' with Yandex Go, when they consider the informal and inefficient past of the taxi industry, the current situation of the labor market, and flexibility, convenience and technology brought by the app. Also, for drivers, relatively higher incomes from the app mitigate the precarities caused by the algorithmic management in the app. The findings and following discussions lead the thesis to propose recommendations on how a more equitable app and fair labor conditions might be designed as well as on how drivers' voice might be institutionalized. Platform economy Labor conditions Dewey 301 MIHDS Master in Innovation, Human Development and Sustainability 122 Département de sociologie T4 false 8fc5949f-4b27-4b51-8593-593bb21aac54 Master thesis Restricted Academic Thesis_Jovhar Museyibzada.pdf 1841598 application/pdf restrictedAccess Faculté des sciences de la société / Département de sociologie

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Understanding experiences of platform economy workers in a developing country: the case of Yandex go in Uzbekistan				2022	206	42

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Museyibzada, Jovhar