Work in the Gig-Economy: The Role of the State and Non-State Actors Ceding and Seizing Regulatory Space

Abstract

Using the concept of regulatory space, this article asks how both the state and non-state actors influence employment regulations particular to the gig-economy. To address this question a mixed method approach is used, including interviews with strategically placed informants involved in policy formation at national and international levels, content analysis of legal cases, parliamentary inquiry transcripts and policy reports. The analysis contributes to an understanding of employment regulation by the state in two ways. First, it reports distinct ‘levers’, which lead to a particular state role of ‘ceding and seizing’ regulatory power. Second, it argues that these levers ultimately serve the accumulation interests of capital over the legitimacy of employment rights for labour. The findings have wider societal implications for issues of equity, justice and employment regulation applicable to the gig-economy.