Digit Debates: Counter-hegemonic Neoliberalism? EU platform regulation

The ESRC Centre for Digital Futures at Work (Digit) studies the way that digital technologies are reshaping work.Our academic research offers critical insights into the real world challenges, opportunities, risks and benefits of the ongoing digital transformation of work. We aim to generate new knowledge about the impacts of the transition on employers, workers, job-seekers and governments.Digit is jointly led by the University of Sussex Business School and Leeds University Business School, with Co-Directors Professor Jacqueline O’Reilly (University of Sussex Business School) and Professor Mark Stuart (Leeds University Business School).We also have partners at the universities of Cambridge, Manchester and Monash, the Institute of Development of Studies, the Institute for the Future of Work, and FutureDotNow.

ESRC Centre for Digital Futures at Work

Counter-hegemonic Neoliberalism? Making sense of EU platform regulationThe platforms that hold the power in the digital economy, and the politics that surround them, are a central topic in contemporary political economy. The EU is widely perceived as a digital laggard, as it is home to very few leading digital corporations, and it is exposed to the market hegemony of the Big Tech platforms.Moreover, the EU is often considered the pioneer of digital regulation, and its platform politics have gained momentum as the EU Commission has unleashed a swathe of new regulatory initiatives, ranging from competition policies to governance of digital content, data flows and platform work. In this talk, I treat platform control and regulation as a matter of contested market design. I offer an analysis of the recent stream of EU platform regulation, questioning how it relates to the historical trajectory of the platform economy and established path dependencies within the EU. I argue that it is characterized by a critical approach to the power of digital platforms and a continuation of negative integration in the EU, and I suggest that it should be understood as a manifestation of counter-hegemonic neoliberalism, as it essentially enforces market-based governance of society through political market design.

About the speakerPhilipp Staab is Professor for the Sociology of the Future of Work at Humboldt University of Berlin and Einstein Center Digital Future. His 2019 book "Digitaler Kapitalismus" (English version appearing in February 2023 with Manchester University Press) was awarded the Matthöfer Price for critical economic studies. Leading German weekly paper DIE ZEIT recently listed him as one of 12 leading German intellectuals "whose thinking matters now". He is author of numerous books, academic and policy papers dealing with the digital transformation of markets, labour and social inequality. His most recent research explores the connections between digital technologies and the sustainability transformation of modern societies. In 2023 he published his new book on the Adaptive Society with prestigious German publisher Suhrkamp.

About Digit DebatesThis Spring webinar series from the <a href="https://digit-research.org/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Digital Futures at Work Research Centre</a> presents cutting-edge research from leading thinkers about how digital technologies are changing work.Our aim is to spark debate, challenge assumptions and become an essential resource for anyone who wants to understand how new technologies will impact employers, employees, job seekers and governments.Join us on 8th, 15th and 29th March 2023. <a href="https://digit-research.org/events/digit-events/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Click here</a> for more information on other events in the series.

About DigitDigit, the <a href="https://digit-research.org/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Digital Futures at Work Research Centre</a> aims to advance our understanding of how digital technologies are reshaping work, impacting on employers, employees, job seekers and governments. It is co-led by the University of Sussex Business School and Leeds University Business School with partners from Aberdeen, Cambridge, Manchester and Monash Universities. It is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

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Digit Debates: Counter-hegemonic Neoliberalism? EU platform regulation

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