Capitalism in the Platform Age. Emerging Assemblages of Labor and Welfare in Urban Spaces,

This two-part work brings together the outcomes of the Horizon 2020 Project PLUS, “Platform Labor in Urban Spaces”. Running from December 2018 to March 2022, which included an extension from December 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this research project investigated the main features and dimensions of the impact of digital platforms on the economy and society, with a specific focus on labour, urban transformations, and welfare. Sixteen partners, including universities, research centres, and cooperatives, investigated the operations of four digital platforms (AirBnb, Deliveroo, Helpling, and Uber) in seven European cities (Barcelona, Berlin, Bologna, Lisbon, London, Paris, and Tallin). The research involved, in different ways, municipalities, independent researchers, platform managers, and established grassroot unions. The fact that the four abovementioned platforms operate in diverse fields—accommodation, food delivery, domestic labour, and transport—has allowed us to carry out a wide-ranging analysis of the rapid spread of digital platforms across the economy and society.