FLPP GigWork DPP

Pētījuma rezultāti atspoguļoti vairākās zinātniskās publikācijās (tostarp doi.org/10.17645/si.7696 un journal.lu.lv/adz/article/view/2428).<div> </div><div> </div><div>Over the last twenty years, digital platforms—IT companies that create and maintain digital infrastructures for human interaction and the provision of various services—have become an integral part of the global economy and daily life. The influence of these companies is not only economic but also socially structural.

The aim of the research project “The Meaning and Practice of Autonomy in Gig Work: Sociocultural Inquiry in Experience of Wolt and Bolt Delivery Workers in Riga” (conducted from January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2023) was to gain a deeper understanding of one aspect of this new platform economy – gig work – through empirical analysis of food delivery couriers working in Riga for the Wolt and Bolt Food platforms. The central analytical question of the study was the precarity associated with this new form of work and the problematic relationship between the perceived autonomy of the workers and the control they are subject to.

The research utilized qualitative sociological methods: 1) 60 in-depth interviews with platform workers were conducted; and 2) analysis of communication among couriers in Telegram forums; 3) analysis of message sent by Bolt Food to its couriers. The results of the study have been reflected in several scientific publications (including doi.org/10.17645/si.7696 and journal.lu.lv/adz/article/view/2428).</div>