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Policy Implications of Virtual Work pp 29–48Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Where Did Online Platforms Come From? The Virtualization of Work Organization and the New Policy Challenges it Raises

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Part of the book series: Dynamics of Virtual Work ((DVW))

Abstract

This chapter argues that the use of online platforms for managing work, although it appears to have emerged suddenly, in fact represents the evolution of several pre-existing trends. The convergence of these trends, now reaching critical mass, has introduced not just quantitative changes in terms of the numbers of people working in digitally enabled ‘just-in-time’ labor markets but also qualitative changes in work organization, with far-reaching implications for skills, career development, occupational safety and health, and the sustainability of work in the long term. It concludes by summarizing the implications of these changes for public policy.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    This definition was used in the COST Action IS 1202, Dynamics of Virtual Work, funded from 2012 to 2016 by the COST Association and led by the author of this chapter.

  2. 2.

    In the UK, closed-shop trade union agreements were finally abolished under the terms of the Employment Act, 1990, but their scope had already been reduced under a series of measures introduced by the Thatcher Government which first came to power in 1979.

  3. 3.

    Personal communication, representatives of NUJ Books Branch and London Freelance Branch, 1986.

  4. 4.

    The literature on teleworking is vast. For an overview of the earlier developments, see Huws et al. (1990).

  5. 5.

    See Huws (2015c) for a summary of the available statistical evidence.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Labour and Globalisation, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 9AB, UK

    Ursula Huws

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  1. Ursula Huws
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Social Science Research ISF Munich, Munich, Germany

    Pamela Meil

  2. Institute for the Study of Societies and Knowledge Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria

    Vassil Kirov

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Huws, U. (2017). Where Did Online Platforms Come From? The Virtualization of Work Organization and the New Policy Challenges it Raises. In: Meil, P., Kirov, V. (eds) Policy Implications of Virtual Work. Dynamics of Virtual Work. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52057-5_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52057-5_2

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-52057-5

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