Global Networks - 2022 - Howson - Unpaid labour and territorial extraction in digital value networks.pdf (345.65 kB)
Unpaid labour and territorial extraction in digital value networks
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-10, 05:58 authored by Kelle Howson, Hannah Johnston, Matthew ColeMatthew Cole, Fabian Ferrari, Funda Ustek-Spilda, Mark GrahamProduction in knowledge and data-intensive industries is powered by work that can, in theory, be done from anywhere, via cloudwork platforms. Cloudwork platforms govern data value chains in distinct ways to concentrate power and extract value at the global scale. We argue that unpaid labour is a systemic mechanism of accumulation in these digital value networks. In this paper we demonstrate how it is tied to platform business models and facilitated by elements of platform governance including monopsony power, a high degree of spatial flexibility in sourcing labour, regulatory unaccountability and digital enclosure. We draw on a survey of 699 workers on 14 platforms in 74 countries to show that unpaid labour is an engine of South–North value extraction, and workers in the global South perform more unpaid labour than counterparts in the global North. Our findings have important ramifications our understanding of the changing international division of labour and platform capitalism.
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Publication status
- Published
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- Published version
Journal
Global NetworksISSN
1470-2266Publisher
WileyExternal DOI
Page range
1-23Department affiliated with
- Management Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2023-01-16First Open Access (FOA) Date
2023-01-16First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2023-01-16Usage metrics
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