Governing participation quality on digital labour platforms: how governance arrangements shape riders’ continuous participation

Purpose This study aims to examine how platform governance arrangements shape the quality of delivery riders’ continuous participation by changing access to rules, interpretive support and workable action channels. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory single-case study of Meituan’s on-demand delivery system in China triangulates interviews with managers, station actors and riders, participant observation, rider-facing app materials and public online texts. Data were analysed using the Gioia methodology. Findings Continuous participation was governance-sensitive and quality-differentiated. Three patterns were identified: Bounded Engagement, Standardised Compliance and Proactive Service. Governance arrangements shaped these patterns by improving rule accessibility, decision interpretability and the practical usability of support, appeal and development channels. Algorithmic adjustments stabilised baseline participation; support infrastructures enabled more predictable compliance; development pathways encouraged more proactive contribution. Originality/value The study reframes continuous participation on digital labour platforms as a quality-differentiated governance outcome rather than a simple stay-or-leave matter of retention. It extends platform governance research beyond algorithmic control by showing how information conditions link governance design to distinct forms of rider participation, with implications for transparency, appeal accessibility, support infrastructures and sustainable platform regulation, continuous participation, digital labour platforms, platform governance, algorithmic management and delivery riders.