240106 VO+UE VM2 / VM3 - Work and digitalization in the Global South (2020W)

Digitalization has become an increasingly important umbrella concept for recent economic developments such as automation, the gig economy, platform capitalism, crowdwork etc. While some hope for a future utopia where machines will do all menial tasks, others fear human alienation and new forms of inequality. Departing from the assumption that “technology is neither good nor bad nor neutral” (Melvin Kranzberg), this class will teach students about the impact of recent innovations in information and communication technology on working conditions, worker collective action and global commodity chains.

Since many of the debates about digitalization privilege Northern perspectives and experiences, a particular focus will lie on digitalization in the Global South. Along these lines, we will learn about algorithmic control, shifting geographies of production and increasingly complex Global Value Chains on the Global South. Taking different cases such as digital tools to increase worker participation, algorithmic management and the gig economy, students will learn about the impact of digitalization on work and worker collective action in these sectors.

This course introduces students into the academic study of changing technological and work relations. Students will learn pivotal concepts from economic sociology and political economy and apply them to theories of digitalization and Global Value Chains. Particular attention will be given to the impact of socio-technological change on unequal North-South relations.