How are gig economy mobile apps changing our cities?
Welcome
This research project supported by the Australian Research Council and The University of Melbourne is investigating how the rapid rise of the gig economy for moving people, goods and services is transforming cities by exploring its diverse impacts on consumers, workers and industries.
About the project
New digital on-demand ways of moving people, goods and services have recently emerged in cities worldwide. Consumers can now summon transport, goods and services through mobile apps at an instant, which are typically provided by ‘freelance’ independent workers. From travelling, to hiring a cleaner; and from ordering food to arranging a home repair, gig economy platforms such as Uber, Deliveroo and Airtasker are radically reconfiguring labour and life for consumers, workers and industries.
Through research with consumers, mobile workers, and industries, this project will provide in-depth qualitative data on the impacts of on-demand mobile work in cities. It will help us to understand how the positive and negative, geographically uneven impacts of digital platforms are affecting consumers, mobile workers and industry. It will help us to understand how everyday consumption and production practices of on-demand mobile work relate to changing governance structures. It will use the findings to recommend socially-just opportunities and policy interventions by the state, urban governance, industry and the community.
01. Research with consumers
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The first part of this project involved research with people who use gig economy apps to explore how they are changing everyday consumption practices in the city.
02. Research with workers
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The second part of this project involved research with gig economy workers to explore the social impacts of this kind of work on the individuals and families involved.
03. Research with stakeholders
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The third part of the project involved research with key industry and government stakeholders to to explore the effects of different forms of governance and control of gig economy work.
04. Research on COVID-19
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The final part of the project involved research with people who have undertaken gig economy work during COVID-19 to explore the social impacts on the individuals and families involved.