After the Gig
How the Sharing Economy Got Hijacked and How to Win It Back
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4.0 • 1 Rating
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- $16.99
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
Management & Workplace Culture Book of the Year, 2020 Porchlight Business Book Awards
A Publishers Weekly Fall 2020 Big Indie Book
The dark side of the gig economy (Uber, Airbnb, etc.) and how to make it equitable for the users and workers most exploited.
When the “sharing economy” launched a decade ago, proponents claimed that it would transform the experience of work—giving earners flexibility, autonomy, and a decent income. It was touted as a cure for social isolation and rampant ecological degradation. But this novel form of work soon sprouted a dark side: exploited Uber drivers, neighborhoods ruined by Airbnb, racial discrimination, and rising carbon emissions. Several of the most prominent platforms are now faced with existential crises as they prioritize growth over fairness and long-term viability.
Nevertheless, the basic model—a peer-to-peer structure augmented by digital tech—holds the potential to meet its original promises. Based on nearly a decade of pioneering research, After the Gig dives into what went wrong with this contemporary reimagining of labor. The book examines multiple types of data from thirteen cases to identify the unique features and potential of sharing platforms that prior research has failed to pinpoint. Juliet B. Schor presents a compelling argument that we can engineer a reboot: through regulatory reforms and cooperative platforms owned and controlled by users, an equitable and truly shared economy is still possible.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Boston College sociologist Schor (True Wealth) punctures the hype surrounding the "sharing economy" in this lucid and deeply researched study. Highlighting the elitism of even the most well-intentioned ventures, Schor draws on case studies conducted by a team of graduate students to detail, for instance, how a Brooklyn food swap was "undone by a combination of foodie judgmentalism and overt snobbery." She reveals that for-profit sharing platforms such as TaskRabbit are dominated by well-educated whites looking to supplement their incomes, while full-time workers face a lack of benefits, poor job security, and unpredictable earning streams. She also accuses Uber and Lyft of worsening traffic conditions and increasing pollution by drawing riders from public transportation, and cites studies that Airbnb has contributed to rising rents. Schor identifies some successes, including the gifting platform Freecycle, which she says offers "an environmentally satisfying and convenient way" of solving the problem of overbuying, and holds out hope that sharing platforms can help to address global warming and income inequality. Schor backs her claims with detailed evidence, and identifies specific, actionable reforms. This incisive account makes a perplexing subject easier to grasp.
