hour bank model, 201–2
hourly car rental services, 26. See also Zipcar
hourly wages: CrowdFlower lawsuit, 226n35; Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 and, 70; freelancers and, 233n52; gender issues, 225n23; Kitchensurfing, 164; living wage, 23; stagnation of, 9–10; in textile industry, 225n15
household debt, 4, 9, 220n16, 226n36
household income: declines in, 9; of hosts, 49; income volatility and, 176, 182
household wealth, 195
Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, 205
Huet, Ellen, 76
human interactions, 32–33, 34
Humphreys, Mary Gay, 87
hustling, 6, 166, 190, 209
identification: entrepreneur, 4; hustler, 4, 6; lack of stable occupational identities, 37
identity checks, 30, 113–15
idle capacity, 42
Ikea, 4, 77, 182
illegal listings, 40, 41
immigrants: drivers as, 53, 226n36; hosts as, 49, 193; Ludlow Massacre, 68–69; undocumented, 11
income issues: equality gains in, 70–71; income discovery tool, 72; income distribution, 8; income gap, 9; income inequality, 8, 176; income percentage, 1; loss of income, 109; low, 5; pay cuts, 74–79; training income, 188; underpaid, 24
income level: cost-of-living adjustments, 177; downward mobility, 10; income per week, 2–3; Kitchensurfing, 60; TaskRabbit, 56, 184; Uber, 54, 184; wage stagnation, 8, 37, 39, 182, 196
income supplementation, 9, 176–77. See also multiple jobs
income volatility, 8, 176, 182
indentured servitude, 3, 55, 73
independent contractors: overview, 3; by choice, 206–7; classification as, 38, 94–95; criminal activity and, 155–56; determining, 199–201box 1; increase in, 179; independent contractor model, 190, 191; sharing economy workers as, 36; tax revenues and, 205–6; Uber and, 188–89; Wagner Act and, 71
Independent Drivers Guild, 71–72
independent worker category, 201, 202
Industrial Revolution, 31, 66, 92
Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), 69
informal economy, 186–87
information collection, 15, 27, 30
information data exhaust, 30
injuries. See workplace injuries
instability, 37–38
Instacart, 41, 172, 190, 207
Instant Book service, 170
Institute for Policy Studies, 195
insurance coverage, 184; Airbnb and, 45–46, 131; Postmates and, 110–11; TaskRabbit and, 114; Uber and, 145
insurance requirements, 2, 46, 111, 114, 145, 167, 222–23n64
interaction-free key transfers, 34, 34fig. 3, 35fig. 4
Internal Revenue Service (IRS), 184–85, 199–201box 1, 205–6
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, 71
Internet stalking, 36
investments: as barrier, 42–43; capital for, 19–20; high capital-barriers, 166–68; returns on, 40; security for, 20
IRS (Internal Revenue Service), 184–85, 199–201box 1, 205–6
Jacobs, Irv, 178
Jefferson, Thomas, 31
The Jobless Future (Aronowitz & DiFazio), 37
The Jungle (Sinclair), 93, 177
Juno/Gett, 190–91, 233n72
just-in-time scheduling, 176, 179, 180
Kahn, Bonnie Menes, 32
Kalanick, Travis, 49–50, 73, 78
Kalleberg, Arne, 183
Kamel, Fawzi, 78
Kapor, Mitch, 17
Kasinitz, Phil, 220n21
Kasselman, Lane, 184
Katz, Lawrence F., 7
Kelly, Jeff, 180
Kerr, Dara, 77
KeyCafes, 34
Kitchensurfing: overview, 4, 7, 21, 22, 23; background on, 57–60; bathroom restrictions, 87–88; business use of, 228n14; closure of, 164, 222n62, 231n6 (ch.7); as on-demand economy company, 27; entrepreneurship and, 161–64; escrow services, 229n6; high skill-barrier, 42–43, 166–68; income level, 60; marketing, 160; participant recruitment and methodology, 42–43, 57; pivots, 57, 222n62; promises of, 25; recruitment, 158–59; response rates, 81, 160; safety issues, 113–14; Secret Diner program, 59, 95–97; sexual harassment, 117–18, 121–22, 123–27. See also chefs
Kitchensurfing Marketplace: high capital-barrier, 43tab. 1, 160; high skill-barrier, 43tab. 1, 160
Kitchensurfing Tonight: bathroom access, 87–88; closure of, 164, 223–24n89, 231n6 (ch.7); as on-demand alternative, 57–58, 59; flexibility, 167; high skill-barrier, 43tab. 1, 160, 166; hourly employees, 223–24n89; low capital-barrier, 42–43; marketing and, 163–64; price increases, 223–24n89; workplace injuries and, 95–97
Krueger, Alan B., 7, 38–39, 201, 202
Krugman, Paul, 8
Ladegaard, Isak, 194
layoffs, 8, 178–79, 180, 207
legal issues: address borrowing, 220n21; CrowdFlower lawsuit, 226n35; illegal listings, 40; landlord-tenant disputes, 230n17; lawsuits by workers, 38; lawsuits over being underpaid, 38; New York City Housing Court, 230n17; ride-sharing in NJ, 145; short-term rentals, 20, 39–40; workers’ compensation, 92. See also criminal activity
legislative issues, 51–53, 52fig. 8
Lepore, Jill, 208
Levin, Sam, 123
Levin, Stephen, 51
licensing requirements, 2, 222–23n64
LinkedIn, 30, 114, 170
low capital-barriers, 42–43, 43tab. 1
Lowell, Massachusetts, 66–67, 70
low skill-barriers, 42–43, 43tab. 1, 160
low-skill work, 41
Ludlow Massacre, 69
Lyft: bathroom use, 88; comparison to, 32–33, 75, 185; competition with, 78; criminal activity and, 143–47; employee monitoring, 204; general liability insurance, 110; high capital-barrier, 43tab. 1, 167; lawsuits by workers against, 38; low skill-barrier, 43tab. 1; LyftLine, 105; Lyft worker, 2–3; payment rate changes, 75; Peers.com and, 72; safety issues, 101–4, 113; as sharing economy company, 26; start-up expenses, 2; Uber comparison, 33; usage by race, 194; worker-client sexual interactions, 133
Lyman, Stanford, 124
MacArthur Foundation, 62, 224n1
makerspaces, 9, 27, 31
Makespace, 190
Managed by Q, 190, 207
manual labor, 41
marketing: Airbnb, 160; image and, 30; by Kitchensurfing, 57; Kitchensurfing, 160; Kitchensurfing and, 163–64; as peer-to-peer connection, 21; of self, 181
marketplace model: Kitchensurfing as, 57, 58; Upwork (oDesk/Elance-oDesk), 204
Mayo, Elton, 178
McAfee, Andrew, 17, 162, 186
McDonald’s, 88, 106, 185, 208
McKinsey Global Institute, 194
Meat Inspection Act of 1906, 93
Mechanical Turk, 73
Meelen, Toon, 28fig. 2
#MeToo movement, 23
Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act, 196
millennials: defined, 219n14; Great Recession and, 10; sharing economy and, 23–24; technology and, 10; unemployment rate, 10
Minieri, Alexandra, 127
minimum wage, 38, 71, 225n23
mining industry, 68–69
Mohrer, Josh, 184
muckrakers, 93
multiple jobs: overview, 3, 8, 15–16; effects of, 14; statistics on, 176
Munchery, 110, 190
Muscarella, Chris, 58
Muslims, discrimination against, 170
MyClean, 109, 172, 189–90, 191, 192, 207
National Guard, 69
National Labor Relations Act of 1935. See Wagner Act of 1935
National Labor Relations Board, 70, 89
Neighborgoods, 26
Neighborrow, 26
network effect, 17
Newcomer, Eric, 73
New Deal, 92, 227n8
Newmark, Craig, 26
New York Communities for Change and Real Affordability for All, 41
New York Times, 39–40, 69
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America (Ehrenreich), 24, 91
Nnaemeka, C.Z., 231n4
Norén, Laura, 228n30
Novogratz, Michael, 76
Occupational Safety and Health Administration: overview, 22; driver homicide victim rate, 101; report on job injuries, 36
oDesk, 204
Omidyar, Pierre, 26
on-call services, 55
on-call taxi service, 26. See also Lyft; Uber
on-demand contractor status, 202
on-demand economy: as form of sharing economy, 28fig. 2; sharing economy comparisons, 27; term usage, 5
on-demand platforms, 38
on-demand services, 42, 57–58, 59. See also consumer-to-consumer (C2C) sales
one-click bookings, 58
180 Days of Change campaign, 102
online marketplaces, 26. See also eBay
online reputations, 29–30
online reward programs, 38, 73
orientations, 30, 42
original prison model, 15
out-of-pocket expenses, 140–42, 229n6
outsourcing: overview, 5, 8, 16, 23; cottage industry as, 66; layoffs and, 179; McClean, 189; opportunities for, 23, 157; risks of, 37; TaskRabbit and, 56; of workplace risk, 191. See also piecemeal system
overtime: avoidance of, 36; independent contractor status and, 94; paid overtime, 189
overwork, 6, 15–16
The Overworked American (Schor), 16
owner-occupied move-ins, 41
paid time off, 180, 188, 190
paid travel time, 189
pajama policy, 204–5, 206
participant recruitment and methodology, 223n85, 225n34, 228n30, 229n5; overview, 22; Airbnb, 42–43; Kitchensurfing, 42–43, 57; research methodology, 21–22; shared assets, 42; sharing economy, 42–43; skills issue, 42; TaskRabbit, 42–43; Uber, 42–43; underused asset access, 42
participation barriers: capital, 42–43, 43table1, 160, 166–68, 183; entrepreneurship and, 38; skills, 42–43, 43table1, 160, 166–68, 183
partners, 3, 79
part-time workers, 180
party-line rides, 105–6
payment rate changes: Kitchensurfing, 59; TaskRabbit, 79–80; Uber, 74–79
PayPal, 26
pay-to-work situations, 2–3
Peeple, 156
Peers, 56, 72, 225n31
peer-to-peer connections: lack of full disclosure in, 97–100; marketing as, 21, 182; political language and, 23; sexual behavior and, 134
peer-to-peer firms, 26
performance metrics, 78–79
Perkins, Frances, 93, 227n8
personal assistant services, 42
Peters, Diniece, 228n32
piecemeal system, 5–6, 22, 66. See also outsourcing
Piketty, Thomas, 40
Pinkerton National Detective Agency, 68, 179
pivots: effects of, 11; Kitchensurfing, 57, 222n62; TaskRabbit, 1, 17, 55–56, 79–80, 138, 203, 222n62; Uber, 74–79
platform economy: forms of, 26–28, 28fig. 2; growth of, 7; term usage, 5. See also consumer-to-consumer (C2C) sales
platforms: architecture and, 17; co-opting of, 221n4; entrepreneurship and, 6; escrow services, 229n6; hands-off approach of, 45; information collection, 15; service fees, 5, 55–56, 79–80, 224n2
policy changes, 24, 74–79, 233n72. See also pivots
Pooper, 173–74, 174fig. 13
portable benefits plan, 201–2, 203
possession monetization, 27
Postmates, 110–11, 127–28, 142, 155, 203
postrecession effects, 26–27
poverty, criminal activity and, 140, 142
precariat, defined, 37
price-fixing conspiracy lawsuit, 71
profiles: fake profiles, 140; guest screening and, 169; by Kitchensurfing, 57; profile pictures, 29, 47
promises, of Uber, 50, 54fig. 10
Pugh, Allison, 38
Pullman Palace Car Company, 68
putting-out system, 66, 68. See also piecemeal system
race issues: digital divide and, 193; discrimination, 35–36, 193; race of chefs, 59; race of TaskRabbit workers, 56; segregation, 119; vulnerability categories, 193–94
Ravenelle, Alexandrea, 194
Reagan, Ronald, 178
recession effects, 26–27
recession of 1981–1982, 178
recirculation of goods, 27
recruitment: by Kitchensurfing, 57, 58–59; by Uber, 50
redress options, 6, 22
registration requirements, 222–23n64
regulation issues, 37
regulatory issues, 50
RelayRides, 33
rental cars, 2, 5
rentals: in East Village, 41, 129; Ellis Law, 41; landlord-tenant disputes, 13; long-term rentals, 39, 39–41; necessity of shared rentals, 132; rent-controlled residents, 41; renter protections, 41; short-term rentals, 19–20, 40, 149–50. See also Airbnb
repeat business: Kitchensurfing Tonight, 58; TaskRabbit, 56, 80
research methodology: case studies, 7; critical perspective and, 7–8; Hawthorne effect, 232n24; interview matrix, 216–17; participant recruitment and methodology, 21–22, 223n85, 225n34, 228n30, 229n5; service platforms, 7
response rates, 1, 78–79, 81–82, 160
retirement funds: access to, 190; as contributory plans, 37; decreases in, 9; productivity and, 190; sharing economy and, 94, 156; temporary workers lack of, 180; use of, 61
reviews, negative, 4
review systems: customer review sites, 26; employee monitoring and, 204–5; negative reviews, 4, 13, 91, 143; transfer between sites, 20
Rideshare Guy website, 76
ride-sharing, 223n75, 233n72
risks: overview, 22; mitigation of, 170; as transaction costs, 27
risk shifts: overview, 31, 36–38; advanced planning and, 97–100; assumption of risk, 92; dangers of driving for hire, 101–4; entrepreneurship and, 36–37; financial risks, 37; financial sustainability, 31; marketing of self, 181; risk reduction, 27
Robinson, Spottswood, 119
Rockefeller family, 68–69
Rodriguez, Ydanis, 51
Rogers, Jackie Krasas, 122
Roosevelt, Franklin D., 70
Russell, Mike, 189
safety issues: overview, 113; background screening mechanisms, 113–15; pedestrian dangers, 228n32; yellow taxicab standards, 227n16
Santander Bank, 3, 73
Sapone, Marcela, 187–89
Sasso, Anthony, 58
scams: overview, 23; overpayment scams, 148–49; platforms misuse and, 141–42
Scharf, Michael, 109, 189–90, 192
schedules: client response rates and, 84; computerized scheduling systems, 180; flexibility in, 207; just-in-time scheduling, 179, 180–81; long, 5
scheduling availability, 1, 62, 87
Schierenbeck, Warren, 58–59
Schoar, Antoinette, 38
Schor, Juliet, 16, 26, 27, 56, 100, 183, 194, 224n1
Schultz, Ken, 191
Schumpeter, Joseph A., 207
scientific management, 178
Scott, Marvin, 124
secondary labor market, defined, 37
secondhand economy companies, 27, 28fig. 2. See also eBay
second-wave feminism, 23, 133
secrecy, 20–21
Secret Diner program, 59, 95–97
self-help organizations, 69–70
servant economy, 99–100, 100fig. 12
service fees, platform, 5, 55–56, 79–80, 224n2
7-day work week, 3
sexual harassment: overview, 6, 23, 112–15; background on, 118–19; sexual assaults, 103, 115; temporary-agency model and, 119–21; uncomfortable situations, 115–18, 125–28; worker acceptance of, 121–24; worker-client sexual interactions, 128–33; workplace protections and, 133–34; workplace segregation and, 119–20
Share Some Sugar, 26, 28
sharing (term), 28
sharing economy: overview, 1–5, 22–24, 25–31, 173–77; in context, 177–81; defined, 3, 26–28, 31, 34; discrimination in, 35; disruptive nature of, 207–9; early industrial age comparison, 5–8; early-industrial system, 60; employee classification in, 187–91; entrepreneurial choice and, 206–7; evaluation of, 181–84; Gemeinschaft/Gesellschaft, 31–36; income rates, 184–85; increasing casualization of labor and the related risk shift, 36–39; increasing social inequalities, 39–42; independent contractor classification, 196–202; pajama policy, 204–5, 206; participant recruitment and methodology, 42–43; promises of, 5, 6, 25, 207–9; protecting workers in, 109–11; race and class issues, 193–96; research methodology, 21–22; sharing economy platforms, 191–93; from sharing to earning, 8–10; social contract issues and, 177, 178, 179, 191–92; successful workers risks, 18–21; tax revenues and, 205–6; time rule solution, 202–3, 206; worker success rates, 10–18. See also gig economy
sharing economy activities: categories of, 27. See also exchange of services; increased utilization of durable assets; recirculation of goods; sharing of productive assets
sharing economy promises: overview, 6; flexibility, 6; work-life balance, 6
sharing of productive assets, as category of sharing economy activities, 27
The Sharing Economy, 183–84
Shoppers, 207
short-term jobs, 37
short-term profits, 37
short-term staffing, 120
sick leave, 92
Simmel, Georg, 32
Sinclair, Upton, 93, 177
sit-down strikes, 70
skills issue: overview, 7, 23, 31; ability, 4; in-demand job skills, 38; in gig economy services, 166–68; marketable skills, 183; participant recruitment and methodology, 42
Slater, Samuel, 66
Slater Mill, 66, 225n15
sleep reduction, 16
smartphones: apps, 50; data usage and, 17; effects of, 26; necessity of, 6, 17–18, 35
Snapgoods, 26
social issues: avoidance of social responsibilities, 36; employee-employer social contract, 177, 178, 179, 191–92; impact of sharing economy on, 25; lack of social life, 3; lack of social protections, 37; lack of social safety net, 94, 177, 180, 187; on multiple jobs, 15–16; social capital, 183, 186; social conformity, 32; social inequalities, 31; social interactions, 32–33, 33; social traditions, 32; trust, 29–30, 33; wealth gap, 195. See also class issues
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