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In this volume, we will discuss the emergence of the platform economy in contemporary capitalism and the way it shapes work, workers and labour relations. The rise of the platform economy over recent years has been facilitated by the spread of the internet around the globe, new digital technologies and increased availability of venture capital (Srnicek, 2017). The growth of the platform economy in all its forms, including online crowdwork and off-line on-demand work, has raised a series of questions concerning its effects on the quality of work and labour relations. These questions include firstly, if the platform economy provides workers with the possibility of earning a good living and the freedom to decide when to work and not to work, or if it is rather the fastest road to (re-) commodification of labour and precariousness (e.g. Graham et al., 2017; Huws et al., 2017). Secondly, it raises doubts about the status of platform workers, i.e. whether they are employees, self-employed or otherwise, and what (labour) regulations (should) apply to the relationships between platforms and platform workers (Todolí-Signes, 2017). Thirdly, issues arise concerning the control of workers through algorithms, rating systems, one-sided price management and digital surveillance and performance appraisals. There are indications that these may not only minimize autonomy and increase stress, but that they may also lead to discrimination, physical and psychosocial violence and harassment, especially among women and young people (Moore, 2018). Fourthly, questions arise concerning the extent to which there is a place for collective labour relations in the platform economy, and if organizing the often extremely atomized platform workers is indeed possible (Drahokoupil and Jepsen, 2017; Woodcock, 2018; Vandaele, 2018). With this book we aim to contribute to clarifying these issues. We will draw on the (necessarily still very recent) existing literature but also want to address some of its gaps and weaknesses. The literature on work and labour relations in the platform economy has a number of deficiencies. One is that, it focuses largely on Europe and the US, ignoring the Global South and the global nature of the platform economy. Secondly, the literature mostly underlines the unique nature of the platform economy and isolates its discussion from broader developments in contemporary capitalism. Thirdly, it often takes a techno-deterministic perspective, viewing the characteristics of platform work as being the outcome of apolitical and inevitable technological developments and downplaying the role of agency, interests, conflict and institutions. In this volume we want to address some of these weaknesses and deepen the analysis of work and labour relations in the platform economy. To this effect, we aim to develop a more historical and theoretically-grounded approach. We want to place the emergence and growth of platform work in the context of the broader characteristics and changes in contemporary capitalism, including the organization of work across global value chains, financialization, the growing incidence of precarious work in the West and the continued precarious nature of much work in the South, the increased use of digital management methods, the declining power of traditional trade unions and the emergence of new forms of worker resistance and representation (Vandaele, 2018; Srnicek, 2017). Here we ask ourselves in what way the platform economy and associated work practices are authentically new and disruptive innovations, and to what extent they represent the continuation, intensification or adaptation of existing practices and trends. Also, we want to overcome techno-determinism by emphasizing the role of agency, i.e. by considering the emergence and shape of platform work not as a simple outcome of technological possibilities but as the result of tensions between capital maximization strategies and workers? resistance. Moreover, we depart from the excessively Euro- and US-centric character of the literature by bringing together perspectives from different continents. On the one hand, this helps to broaden the geographical variety of the study of the platform economy and allows us to discuss global trends as well as the local specificities of such trends, including the characteristics of work, workers, labour regulations, and collective actors. On the other hand, a global perspective is necessary taking into consideration that the platform economy connects disparate parts of the world and creates global markets for the supply and demand of work and labour. This raises the question about the international division of platform labour and global competition between platform workers, and their effects on wages, working conditions and global inequalities. Within this context, we plan to deepen the analysis of platform work and labour relations in the platform economy. Concerning platform work we focus on:(i) The characteristics and the quality of work in terms of income, working hours, the (vanishing) division between work and leisure time, work security and social security. Here we give particular attention to the extent to which the platforms represent a (re-) commodification of work and to similarities and differences in developments between the different world regions.(ii) The way platform work is organized and platform workers are controlled by the platforms, by consumers and by self-control, their performative effect on the construction of the worker as a subject, and the effects on autonomy, harassment and discrimination.Concerning labour relations, we ask ourselves:(iii) What forms of worker resistance can be observed? How do workers organize, in what kind of collectives? What are their main objectives and resources of power? What capacities and policies do trade unions have to represent platform workers? (iv) How is the platform economy regulated by the state and by collective actors like trade unions, other worker representatives, self-organising freelance workers, etc.? The book is arranged into four parts. The first part consists of the introduction which outlines the themes of the book and draws together the conclusions of the chapters of the book. Section 1 is largely conceptual and includes three broad papers providing a historical and theoretical analysis of the conditions that allowed for the emergence of the platform economy within the context of the broader capitalist social formation. They highlight the place occupied by workers in the production of value in the platform economy, the ?platformization? of work as tendency within the broader development of informational capitalism, and the use of digital management methods in the platform economy. Section 2 includes four chapters that analyse the quality of platform work, its international division of labour and the global inequalities it creates. Section 3 discusses labour relations in platform capitalism and includes four chapters on the various ways platform workers organize and defend their interests, and on the regulation of the platform economy by the state. We have invited a range of international experts from various parts of the world to contribute to the book. All authors mentioned have confirmed their participation with the exception of chapter 3, 4 and 6 with whom we are still in discussion. In the unlikely case they are finally unable to contribute, these chapters will be provided by other authors in the same field.

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