Platform cooperatives and the dilemmas of platform worker-member participation

Summary

The journal article by Morshed Mannan and Simon Pek explores the dynamics of member participation in platform cooperatives (PWCs), focusing on the gig economy. Based on interviews with leaders and founders of 21 PWCs, the study identifies four distinguishing features of PWCs: facilitation of multihoming, physically untethered work, high importance of scale as a strategic imperative, and low importance of initial platform worker-member investment. These features influence member participation in both positive and negative ways. The research highlights that while PWCs aim to foster member participation, they face challenges such as member apathy, unequal levels of participation, and constrained participation on specific issues. The paper contributes to understanding how the platform and worker cooperative organizational models can be in tension within a PWC, affecting participation dynamics and exploring how PWCs can leverage new technologies and practices to improve participation.