Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Using digital technology to liberate workers, this is an essential introduction to Platform Cooperativism, cooperatively owned, democratically governed businesses. What if taxi drivers were in charge of their own digital platform? At a time when there are so few concrete, near-term solutions to the power of large technology companies, the crisis in the care sector, and threats to democracy, Platform Cooperatives offer an urgent and practical solution to change how businesses are owned and controlled.
In Own This researcher and activist Trebor Scholz provides valuable insights into this global digital uprising, powered by democratic ownership and shared decision-making.
Scholz will take you to the south of India, where a digital cooperative of farmers brings their harvest directly to market; to New York City, where a worker-owned and operated alternative to Uber is transforming piece-rate gig economy precarity into good jobs with stable hourly wages; to Belgium, where artists benefit from the payroll and tax services of a platform cooperative; and to Italy, where a short-term rental platform shares half of its profits with the communities in which it operates.
Synopsis
The essential introduction to Platform Cooperativism that shows how workers can leverage digital technology to achieve emancipation on their own terms What if taxi drivers were in charge of their own digital platform? At a time when there are so few concrete, near-term solutions to the power of large technology companies, the crisis in the care sector, and threats to democracy, Platform Cooperatives offer an urgent and practical solution to change how businesses are owned and controlled.
In Own This researcher and activist Trebor Scholz provides valuable insights into this global digital uprising, powered by democratic ownership and shared decision-making.
Scholz will take you to the south of India, where a digital cooperative of farmers brings their harvest directly to market; to New York City, where a worker-owned and operated alternative to Uber is transforming piece-rate gig economy precarity into good jobs with stable hourly wages; to Belgium, where artists benefit from the payroll and tax services of a platform cooperative; and to Italy, where a short-term rental platform shares half of its profits with the communities in which it operates.
Synopsis
The essential introduction to Platform Cooperativism that shows how workers can leverage digital technology to achieve emancipation on their own terms What if taxi drivers in New York City or rickshaw operators in Bangalore could start a worker-owned and operated alternative to Uber with stable hourly wages? What if domestic workers could double their income by establishing their own platform? Imagine platforms like Twitch, Twitter, and Roblox were owned by their streamers, users, and creators? What if small fishing communities in Mexico or farmers in Kerala had the power to determine what data they collect about their work and how they utilize that data?
Such Platform Cooperatives are not a figment of the utopian imagination, but rather a reality that is transforming industries today. In this book, researcher and activist Trebor Scholz explores how these new forms of business, powered by peer principles, are paving the way for a more equitable gig economy that benefits everyone.
Synopsis
What if taxi drivers in New York City or rickshaw operators in Bangalore could start a worker-owned and-operated alternative to Uber with stable hourly wages? Platform cooperatives reimagine a world where domestic workers can double their income by establishing their own platform--an internet where platforms such as Twitch, Twitter, and Roblox were owned by their streamers, users, and creators. What if small fishing communities in Mexico or farmers in Kerala had the power to determine what data they collected about their work and how they utilized that data?
Platform cooperatives are not a figment of the utopian imagination, but rather a reality that is transforming industries today. Collectives that leverage technology offer an urgent and practical solution to shift how businesses are owned and controlled, allowing workers to make decisions together. In this book, researcher and activist Trebor Scholz explores how these new forms of business, powered by peer principles, are paving the way for a more equitable economy that benefits everyone.
Own This sets out a program that could change the ways we live, work, and organize.
Synopsis
What if taxi drivers in New York City or rickshaw operators in Bangalore could start a worker-owned and-operated alternative to Uber with stable hourly wages? Winner of the First Prize in the Joyce Rothschild Book Awards
Platform cooperatives reimagine a world where domestic workers can double their income by establishing their own platform--an internet where platforms such as Twitch, Twitter, and Roblox were owned by their streamers, users, and creators. What if small fishing communities in Mexico or farmers in Kerala had the power to determine what data they collected about their work and how they utilized that data?
Platform cooperatives are not a figment of the utopian imagination, but rather a reality that is transforming industries today. Collectives that leverage technology offer an urgent and practical solution to shift how businesses are owned and controlled, allowing workers to make decisions together. In this book, researcher and activist Trebor Scholz explores how these new forms of business, powered by peer principles, are paving the way for a more equitable economy that benefits everyone.
Own This sets out a program that could change the ways we live, work, and organize.