240067 VO+UE VM2 / VM3 - The Future of Work (2020S)

Work comes in many different forms and the way people work has changed tremendously throughout history. In modern market economies featuring labor markets, wage labor becomes a pivotal factor to determine one’s life chances and access to societal resources and privileges. The role of technological innovation is particularly ambiguous: While it could potentially increase overall wealth and/or decrease the societal need for long working hours, technological change and automation continuously threaten parts of the working population with displacement. Current public debates about automation, artificial intelligence and digitalization have precipitated a resurgence of fears of unemployment and displacement among some, while others predict a future without scarcity.
This course introduces students into the sociology of work, particularly into the academic study of changing technological and work relations. Students will learn pivotal concepts from economic sociology, political economy and heterodox economics and apply them to theories of platform capitalism, automation, digitalization, digital sufficiency and degrowth. Particular attention will be given to the impact of socio-technological change on unequal North-South relations.