THE GIG ECONOMY AND COMPETITION LAW: A FRAMEWORK FOR CURBING PLATFORM-BASED MARKET ABUSE

The proliferation of digital platforms has revolutionized labor markets through the gig economy model. This paper examines the intersection of India's competition law framework with platform-based labor markets. It analyzes how dominant platforms exercise substantial market power in ways that may constitute abuse. The Indian Competition Act, 2002, and the proposed Digital Competition Law have yet to fully address platform-specific challenges. These platforms frequently exhibit winner-takes-all dynamics through network effects and data aggregation advantages. Worker misclassification further compounds competitive distortions by enabling cost advantages through regulatory arbitrage.