1st Edition

The Digital Transformation of Labor Automation, the Gig Economy and Welfare

Edited By Anthony Larsson, Robin Teigland Copyright 2020
    366 Pages 14 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    366 Pages 14 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Through a series of studies, the overarching aim of this book is to investigate if and how the digitalization/digital transformation process causes (or may cause) the autonomy of various labor functions, and its impact in creating (or stymieing) various job opportunities on the labor market. This book also seeks to illuminate what actors/groups are mostly benefited by the digitalization/digital transformation and which actors/groups that are put at risk by it.

    This book takes its point of departure from a 2016 OECD report that contends that the impact digitalization has on the future of labor is ambiguous, as on the one hand it is suggested that technological change is labor-saving, but on the other hand, it is suggested that digital technologies have not created new jobs on a scale that it replaces old jobs. Another 2018 OECD report indicated that digitalization and automation as such does not pose a real risk of destroying any significant number of jobs for the foreseeable future, although tasks would by and large change significantly. This would affects welfare, as most of its revenue stems from taxation, and particularly so from the taxation on labor (directly or indirectly). For this reason, this book will set out to explore how the future technological and societal advancements impact labor conditions.

    The book seeks to provide an innovative, enriching and controversial take on how various aspects of the labor market can be (and are) affected the ongoing digitalization trend in a way that is not covered by extant literature. As such, this book intends to cater to a wider readership, from a general audience and students, to specialized professionals and academics wanting to gain a deeper understanding of the possible future developments of the labor market in light of an accelerating digitalization/digital transformation of society at large.

    Foreword: galaxy incognito

    DR. KJELL A. NORDSTRÖM

    1 A journey of a thousand miles: an introduction to the digitalization of labor

    ANTHONY LARSSON

    PART I Practical utilization of new technologies

    2 Behind the history of labor: technology as the driving force

    ALEXANDER BARD, JAN SÖDERQVIST AND ANTHONY LARSSON

    3 The substitution of labor: from technological feasibility to other factors influencing the potential of job automation

    JOCHEM VAN DER ZANDE, KAROLINE TEIGLAND, SHAHRYAR SIRI AND ROBIN TEIGLAND

    4 Minimum wages for online labor platforms? Regulating the global gig economy

    ALEX J. WOOD, MARK GRAHAM AND MOHAMMAD AMIR ANWAR

    5 The digital disruption of science: governments and scientists toward an “Open Science”

    ANTOINE MAIRE

    6 Black boxes of cognitive computers and the impact on labor markets

    VICTOR ERIK BERNHARDTZ

    7 AI leadership and the future of corporate governance: changing demands for board competence

    FERNANDA TORRE, ROBIN TEIGLAND AND LISELOTTE ENGSTAM

    PART II The role of the digital welfare state

    8 Polarization, tax revenue and the welfare state: digital disruption or still standing strong?

    MÅRTEN BLIX

    9 Welfare states and digitalization

    BENT GREVE

    10 “Gig patients”: health and dental care in the gig economy

    ANTHONY LARSSON AND DOMINIKA SABOLOVÁ

    PART III Digital disruption of status quo

    11 GDPR: what are the risks and who benefits?

    ANTHONY LARSSON AND PERNILLA LILJA

    12 Players for hire: games and the future of low-skill work

    EDWARD CASTRONOVA

    13 The global gig economy: toward a planetary labor market

    MARK GRAHAM AND MOHAMMAD AMIR ANWAR

    14 Identifying the digital gender divide: how digitalization may affect the future working conditions for women

    ANTHONY LARSSON AND YAMIT VIITAOJA

    15 Consulting in the digital era? The role of tomorrow’s management consultants

    ANTHONY LARSSON, NICOLE ANDERSSON, PETER MARKOWSKI, MALIN NILSSON AND IVY MAYOR

    16 Digitalization, circular economy and the future of labor: how circular economy and digital transformation can affect labor

    ANTHONY LARSSON AND LINN LINDFRED

    PART IV Conclusion

    17 Conclusion: the digital transformation of labor – where do we go from here?

    ANTHONY LARSSON

    Afterword: impact of digitalization on employment and working conditions

    JOHN ØVRETVEIT

    Index

    Biography

    Anthony Larsson (Ph.D.) is a researcher at the Stockholm School of Economics Institute for Research (SIR), Sweden. He holds a Ph.D. from Karolinska Institutet, Sweden. He also holds an MBA and M.Sc. degrees in political science, social anthropology, and business administration and economics respectively, as well as an associate degree in psychology.

    Robin Teigland (Ph.D.) is Professor of Management of Digitalization in the Entrepreneurship and Strategy Division at the Department of Technology Management and Economics at Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden. She is also Professor of Business Administration with a specialization in strategic information systems management at the Stockholm School of Economics in Sweden and a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences.