The co-op bookstore for avid readers
Book Cover for: Work and Alienation in the Platform Economy: Amazon and the Power of Organization, Sarrah Kassem

Work and Alienation in the Platform Economy: Amazon and the Power of Organization

Sarrah Kassem

Once hidden behind the veils of entrepreneurship, it is now clear that platforms are reshaping the world of work, and Amazon has been a forerunner in setting the trend.

This book examines two key and contrasting Amazon platforms that differ in how they organize workers: its e-commerce platform and digital labor platform (Mechanical Turk). With access to the people who are working at the heart of these platforms, it explores how different working conditions alienate workers, and how, despite these conditions, workers organize within their political-economic contexts to express their agency in traditional and alternative ways.

Written for social scientists studying and researching the platform economy, this is a timely and important analysis of work and workers on the (digital) shop floor.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Bristol University Press
  • Publish Date: Mar 28th, 2023
  • Pages: 222
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 9.21in - 6.14in - 0.56in - 1.08lb
  • EAN: 9781529226546
  • Categories: Labor - GeneralLabor & Industrial RelationsTechnology Studies

About the Author

Kassem, Sarrah: - Sarrah Kassem is Lecturer and Research Associate in the field of Political Economy at the Institute of Political Science at the University of Tübingen.

Praise for this book

"It is a study that merits close attention by academics and students interested in understanding the predicament and prospects of individuals engaged in lower-skilled work in the platform economy." ILR Review
"Sarrah Kassem's work opens up new research avenues for scholars interested in studying work organisation within the platform economy, encouraging the use of an intersectionality theory and comparative political economy." Social Policy Administration