India's platform economy: A site for the commodification-decommodification dynamic

Abstract

The platform economy is perceived to hold enormous potential to address some of the existing economic disparities. This chapter suggests that precariousness was a complex experience with process of both commodification and decommodification being simultaneously present. Algorithmic control reconfigures the power relations between platforms and workers resulting in precariousness. The chapter reviews existing research in India pertaining to both crowdwork and on-demand work while arguing that the impact of gig work is a mixed bag. In the Indian context, it will be difficult to deny that some of these benefits have accrued to gig workers. The Fairwork India Ratings report argues that precarity emerges from income insecurity, customer interaction and labour insecurity which gets reflected in working conditions and the ambiguity of the regulatory landscape. The chapter discusses precarity mainly in relation to income and labour precarity.