PlatWork-R: platform work and its regulations (2022-2028)
Platforms provide workers with flexibility, but platform workers lack social protection and income security. The control that platforms exert over platform workers is at odds with their status as self-employed, and has prompted parliamentary hearings and lawsuits. The PlatWork-R project addresses the need for new regulations regarding platform work.
While platform work has grown rapidly, it has remained unclear what laws and regulations apply to platforms and their workers, despite serious concerns raised regarding low wages, excessive working hours, and ill-protected workers. Addressing this societal problem, the objectives of the PlatWork-R project are to obtain theoretical and empirical insights in platform work and its governance, and to develop regulatory options for the Dutch government and parliament given public values of decent work, social protection, non-discrimination, privacy and cybersecurity.
The project brings together researchers from five universities combing expertise from law, economics, management, public administration and design sciences. In collaboration with Statistics Netherlands (CBS), ministries, employee and employer organizations, the researchers develop an evidence base, policy options and implementation guidelines regarding platform work, focusing on the public values of decent work, social protection, non-discrimination, privacy and cyber security.
PlatWork-R is funded by NWO NWA and runs from 2022 to 2028.
Societal relevance
The project envisages three social impacts. First, it aims to provide an evidence base to improve policy processes and to foster a more informed public debate. Second, it aims to develop viable regulatory options for platform work by testing and validating each of the options –including digital implementation devices in the form of plug-ins– with all stakeholders. Third, the project aims to support an improved use of regulatory tools regarding platforms taking into account all relevant public interests.
