Variegated informalities in the globalization of platform work

The globalization of platform work has had variegated effects on working conditions. However, the dichotomy between formal employment and informal economic activities still dominates academic research and policymaking. This division reiterates a colonial matrix of thought by taking the formal employment regime as developed during the 20th century in the Global North as a worldwide standard, while grouping together multifarious working conditions in the Global South under the negative container concept of “in-formal work.” We use the Weberian methodology of ideal-type construction to positively characterize the variegated informalities of platform work while respecting its heterogeneity. We describe three ideal-types for informal working conditions in platform-mediated transportation: in Argentina, platform work functions as an income-driven safety net for workers left behind by the formal labor market; in Indonesia, platforms are forces of selective (in)formalization that apply or lift formal work arrangements depending on strategic interactions with other stakeholders; in Kenya, debt-fueled informality gets workers trapped in debt to engage in platform work.