Machines, Platforms and Capabilities, 2019-2020

This project utilised mixed methods to examine the significance of different sectors of the gig economy within local labour markets, and includes the study of co-operative alternatives to more dominant forms of platform capitalism. Participants included drivers from a cooperative taxi company and cycle couriers employed by digital platforms, all working in Cardiff, South Wales. Interviews explored the participant’s experiences of job quality, patterns and routines in their area of employment. This research was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the interviews also provide a snapshot of working in this sector during this period. In addition to the interviews, ethnographic analysis of cycle couriers’ daily routines was undertaken by accompanying them by bicycle. These journeys were recorded using GPS devices.