scholarly journals Über-Alienated: Powerless and Alone in the Gig Economy

2021 ◽  
pp. 073088842110247
Author(s):  
Paul Glavin ◽  
Alex Bierman ◽  
Scott Schieman
Keyword(s):  
Economic Life ◽  
Financial Strain ◽  
Life Study ◽  
Quality Of Work ◽  
National Surveys ◽  
Gig Economy ◽  
Worker Autonomy ◽  
Online Labor ◽  
Analyze Data

While the gig economy has expanded rapidly in the last decade, few have studied the psychological ramifications of working for an online labor platform. Guided by classical and modern theories of work and alienation, we investigate whether engagement in platform work is associated with an increased sense of powerlessness and isolation. We analyze data from two national surveys of workers from the Canadian Quality of Work and Economic Life Study in September 2019 ( N = 2,460) and March 2020 ( N = 2,469). Analyses reveal greater levels of powerlessness and loneliness among platform workers—a pattern that is not fully explained by their higher levels of financial strain. Additional analyses of platform activity reveal that rideshare driving is more strongly associated with powerlessness and isolation than engagement in online crowdwork. We interpret our findings in light of platform firms’ use of algorithmic control and distancing strategies that may undermine worker autonomy and social connection.

scholarly journals Social Estrangement and Psychological Distress before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Patterns of Change in Canadian Workers

2020 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 398-417
Author(s):  
Alex Bierman ◽  
Scott Schieman
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Economic Life ◽  
Social Forces ◽  
Life Study ◽  
Quality Of Work ◽  
National Surveys ◽  
Rapid Social Change ◽  
Individual Vulnerability ◽  
Substantial Rise

This article argues that the COVID-19 pandemic and associated social distancing measures intended to slow the rate of transmission of the virus resulted in greater subjective isolation and community distrust, in turn adversely impacting psychological distress. To support this argument, we examine data from the Canadian Quality of Work and Economic Life Study, two national surveys of Canadian workers—one from late September 2019 (N = 2,477) and the second from mid-March 2020 (N = 2,446). Analyses show that subjective isolation and community distrust increased between the two surveys, which led to a substantial rise in psychological distress. Increases in subjective isolation were stronger in older respondents, resulting in a greater escalation in psychological distress. These findings support a Durkheimian perspective on the harm to social integration and mental health caused by periods of rapid social change but also illustrate how a life course context can differentiate individual vulnerability to disintegrative social forces.

scholarly journals Multiple jobs? The prevalence, intensity and determinants of multiple jobholding in Canada

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 383-402
Author(s):  
Paul Glavin
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Work Stress ◽  
Economic Life ◽  
Health Study ◽  
Life Study ◽  
Gig Economy ◽  
Secondary Employment ◽  
Statistics Canada ◽  
Stress And Health

While traditional labour market estimates indicate that there has been little change in the proportion of workers holding multiple jobs in North America, survey instrument deficiencies may be hiding more substantial growth driven by the gig economy. To address this possibility, I test a broader measure of multiple jobholding to examine its prevalence in the Canadian workforce based on two national studies of workers (2011 Canadian Work Stress and Health Study and 2019 Canadian Quality of Work and Economic Life Study). Almost 20% of workers in 2019 reported multiple jobholding – a rate that is three times higher than Statistics Canada estimates. While multivariate analyses reveal that the multiple jobholding rate in 2019 was 30% higher than in the 2011 Canadian Work Stress and Health Study, multiple jobholders in 2019 were less likely to report longer work hours in secondary employment. Analyses also revealed that having financial difficulties is consistently associated with multiple jobholding in 2011 and 2019. Collectively, these findings suggest that while the spread of short-term work arrangements has facilitated Canadians’ secondary employment decisions, for many workers these decisions may reflect underlying problems in the quality of primary employment in Canada, rather than labour market opportunity. I discuss the potential links between multiple jobholding, the gig economy and employment precariousness. JEL Code: J21

Investigating Factors Influencing the Quality of Crowdsourced Work under Different Incentives

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 15-31
Author(s):  
Evangelos Mourelatos ◽  
Manolis Tzagarakis
Keyword(s):  
Social Networking ◽  
Laboratory Setting ◽  
Quality Of Work ◽  
Large Group ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
New Form ◽  
Online Labor ◽  
Complex Question

Crowdsourcing is a new form of online labor, where the process of solving a problem is approached by soliciting contributions from a large group of people. In this paper, the authors attempt to investigate how different incentives affect the quality of work in such contexts, by completing the same task in three different environments: in a laboratory setting, on a social networking as well as on a crowdsourcing site. Analyzing the obtained results indicates that under different incentives, different factors contribute to the quality of work in crowdsourcing tasks. In general the research highlights that the identification of factors contributing positively to higher quality of work in crowdsourcing environments is a complex question, depending on the task at hand.

Investigating Factors Influencing the Quality of Crowdsourced Work Under Different Incentives

Crowdsourcing ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 1263-1281
Author(s):  
Evangelos Mourelatos ◽  
Manolis Tzagarakis
Keyword(s):  
Social Networking ◽  
Laboratory Setting ◽  
Quality Of Work ◽  
Large Group ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
New Form ◽  
Online Labor ◽  
Complex Question

Crowdsourcing is a new form of online labor, where the process of solving a problem is approached by soliciting contributions from a large group of people. In this paper, the authors attempt to investigate how different incentives affect the quality of work in such contexts, by completing the same task in three different environments: in a laboratory setting, on a social networking as well as on a crowdsourcing site. Analyzing the obtained results indicates that under different incentives, different factors contribute to the quality of work in crowdsourcing tasks. In general the research highlights that the identification of factors contributing positively to higher quality of work in crowdsourcing environments is a complex question, depending on the task at hand.

scholarly journals Nonrespondent Subsample Multiple Imputation in Two-Phase Sampling for Nonresponse

2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 769-785 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nanhua Zhang ◽  
Henian Chen ◽  
Michael R. Elliott
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Imputation ◽  
Likelihood Methods ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Life Study ◽  
Phase Sampling ◽  
Weighting Methods ◽  
Two Phase Sampling ◽  
Analyze Data

Abstract Nonresponse is very common in epidemiologic surveys and clinical trials. Common methods for dealing with missing data (e.g., complete-case analysis, ignorable-likelihood methods, and nonignorable modeling methods) rely on untestable assumptions. Nonresponse two-phase sampling (NTS), which takes a random sample of initial nonrespondents for follow-up data collection, provides a means to reduce nonresponse bias. However, traditional weighting methods to analyze data from NTS do not make full use of auxiliary variables. This article proposes a method called nonrespondent subsample multiple imputation (NSMI), where multiple imputation (Rubin 1987) is performed within the subsample of nonrespondents in Phase I using additional data collected in Phase II. The properties of the proposed methods by simulation are illustrated and the methods applied to a quality of life study. The simulation study shows that the gains from using the NTS scheme can be substantial, even if NTS sampling only collects data from a small proportion of the initial nonrespondents.

Investigating Factors Influencing the Quality of Crowdsourced Work Under Different Incentives

2019 ◽  
pp. 1445-1462
Author(s):  
Evangelos Mourelatos ◽  
Manolis Tzagarakis
Keyword(s):  
Social Networking ◽  
Laboratory Setting ◽  
Quality Of Work ◽  
Large Group ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
New Form ◽  
Online Labor ◽  
Complex Question

Crowdsourcing is a new form of online labor, where the process of solving a problem is approached by soliciting contributions from a large group of people. In this paper, the authors attempt to investigate how different incentives affect the quality of work in such contexts, by completing the same task in three different environments: in a laboratory setting, on a social networking as well as on a crowdsourcing site. Analyzing the obtained results indicates that under different incentives, different factors contribute to the quality of work in crowdsourcing tasks. In general the research highlights that the identification of factors contributing positively to higher quality of work in crowdsourcing environments is a complex question, depending on the task at hand.

scholarly journals Quality of work in online labor markets

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ευάγγελος Μουρελάτος
Keyword(s):  
Labor Markets ◽  
Quality Of Work ◽  
Online Labor Markets ◽  
Online Labor

Αυτή η πτυχιακή αναλύει την διαδικασία και τις τεχνικές του πληθοπορισμού (crowdsourcing) και της συμμετοχικής χρηματοδότησης (crowdfunding) σαν ένα νέο μοντέλο εύρεσης και παροχής εργασίας, κατά το οποίο άτομα και οργανισμοί χρησιμοποιούν ένα σύνολο από χρήστες του διαδικτύου για να αποκτήσουν υπηρεσίες ή ιδέες τις οποίες και χρειάζονται.Πιο συγκεκριμένα, η συγκεκριμένη διδακτορική διατριβή, εξερευνά το συνεχώς αναπτυσσόμενο φαινόμενο της διαδικτυακής εργασίας, μέσα από το πρίσμα των διαδικτυακών ιστότοπων που παρέχουν ένα περιβάλλον πληθοπορισμού. Στα επόμενα κεφάλαια παρουσιάζεται μια μικροσκοπική και μία μακροσκοπική ανάλυση των χαρακτηριστικών που επηρεάζουν την ποιότητα της εργασίας μέσα σε αυτά τα διαδικτυακά εργασιακά περιβάλλοντα.H μικροσκοπική ανάλυση επικεντρώνεται στα χαρακτηριστικά των συμμετεχόντων σε διαδικτυακές αγορές εργασίας δίνοντας έμφαση στα γνωστικά και μη-γνωστικά χαρακτηριστικά τους, ενώ η μακροσκοπική ανάλυση έχει ως επίκεντρο του ενδιαφέροντος τις διαδικτυακές πλατφόρμες οι οποίες παρέχουν υπηρεσίες πληθοπορισμού και συμμετοχικής χρηματοδότησης στο διαδίκτυο και στα χαρακτηριστικά τους.Σε γενικές γραμμές αύτη η νέα και καινοτόμος μορφή της διαδικτυακής εργασίας (πληθοπορισμού) αναπτύσσεται σταθερά τα τελευταία χρόνια, όπως μπορεί να αποδειχθεί από τον μεγάλο αριθμό των πλατφορμών που έχουν δημιουργηθεί τα τελευταία πέντε χρόνια αλλά και από τον μεγάλο αριθμό των επισκέψεων στις ιστοσελίδες και των εγγραφόμενων χρηστών. Αυτή η ραγδαία ανάπτυξη και απότομη δημοτικότητα έχει ως αποτέλεσμα μια πολυπλοκότητα, καθώς υπάρχει μεγάλη διακύμανση και ποικιλία στα χαρακτηριστικά που υπάρχουν μεταξύ των συμμετεχόντων στο πληθοπορισμό αλλά και των πλατφορμών που παρέχουν τέτοιου είδους υπηρεσίες.Αυτό έχει σαν αποτέλεσμα, η έρευνά μας να προσπαθήσει να ικανοποιήσει την ανάγκη για σταθεροποίηση της ποιότητα εργασίας η οποία υπάρχει σε εργασιακά περιβάλλοντα αμειβόμενου πληθοπορισμού με το να παρουσιάσει χρήσιμα ευρήματα πάνω στους παράγοντες οι οποίοι επηρεάζουν την απόδοση των ατόμων αλλά και των πλατφορμών σε διαδικτυακά περιβάλλοντα πληθοπορισμού.

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