Dossier on collaborative economy (& II): New strategies and alternative aspects of the platform economy, coordinated by Lluís Alfons Garay TamajónISSUE 15 (MAY 2021)
ALTERNATIVES TO PLATFORM CAPITALISM

Democratising the platform economy

Abstract

Platforms such as Glovo, Deliveroo and Uber Eats that operate in the field of food delivery have set up in cities all around the world. The expansion of these platforms has had an impact on workers’ rights in what is considered as platform capitalism. Even then, democratic alternatives connected to the social and solidarity economy and digital commons exist. This article analyses the democratic qualities of four alternative food delivery platforms with headquarters in Europe (CoopCycle, CILFé, Crow and Mensakas). On the one hand, the results show that these platforms consider their workers’ rights; that is the main reason why they form an alternative to platform capitalism. On the other hand, the analysis shows that these platforms face important challenges, especially regarding their economic sustainability and scalability.

platform economy;  platform cooperativism;  social and solidarity economy;  gig work;  riders;  decent work and economic growth;  reduced inequalities;  responsible consumption and production; 

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About the authors