Ep 3: Making Platforms Work for Workers - Data Commons and Platform Cooperatives

The third episode talks about possible alternatives to the neoliberal platform-based model of work that is prevalent, today. As examples, the episode highlights SEWA's ongoing journey of evolving the platform model according to its members' needs, Labournet’s pilot platforms geared towards making platform-based work transparent and more regularised for gig workers and the story of Equal Care Co-op, a platform that’s making care work in the UK more decentralised, and humane.

This podcast series is brought to you by IT for Change, and supported by Friederich Ebert Stiftung (FES) and Fair Green Global (FGG).

Host: Sonakshi Agarwal (IT for Change)

Guest Speakers:

• Jalajakshi CK (Labournet)
• Salonie Hiriyadur (SEWA Cooperative Federation)
• Emma Back (Equal Care)

References and Additional Readings:

1. Platform Cooperativism - Challenging the Corporate Sharing Economy (Trebor Scholz) - https://monoskop.org/images/5/5b/Scholz_Trebor_Platform_Cooperativism_Challenging_the_Corporate_Sharing_Economy.pdf

2. Why Platform Cooperatives have yet to challenge Big Tech (Tech Monitor) - https://techmonitor.ai/policy/big-tech/why-platform-cooperatives-have-yet-to-challenge-big-tech

3. [video] Unpacking Digitization, Data Governance and Cooperatives in India (IT for Change) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZigJseA3PU

4. Labournet - https://www.labournet.in/

5. Equal Care Co-op - https://www.equalcare.coop/

6. SEWA Cooperative Federation - https://www.sewafederation.org/