Access to the Gig Economy: Infrastructural Competence and the Participation of Underrepresented Populations

进入零工经济：基础设施能力和代表性不足人群的参与

• 批准号: 1665386
• 负责人: Steven Sawyer
• 金额: $ 5.23万
• 依托单位: Syracuse University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2017-04-01 至 2020-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1665386&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Access; Gig; Economy; Infrastructural; Competence

This research advances our understanding of how people from disadvantaged backgrounds pursue work in the the so-called knowledge-based gig economy, doing contract work such as programming and writing. The research will delve into how these workers obtain, assemble, and organize digital resources, such as mobile devices, software and services, storage, security, and interconnectivity, to accomplish their jobs. These workers, especially if they lack an office, may work in coffee shops, libraries, co-working centers, and other on-the-go places. Some have routine circuits of travel and can rely on co-working spaces; some are more nomadic. Either way, they must organize and reconfigure their work resources, creating "mobile offices" that provide cognitive space (attention), physical space (room to work), communications (relationships with others), and direct work resources. Digital technologies are usually necessary and require technical and social competence and financial resources. Recent studies show that this kind of work is likely to become a larger part of the future workforce.One goal of this research is to understand in greater depth what will be needed to make this kind of work successful, and to identify the particular challenges and needs of workers who come from disadvantaged backgrounds (such as single parents, rural workers, etc). A second goal of this work is to develop better methods for collecting data on contract or gig workers, and how to understand the alternative uses of these workers' digital platforms, applications, and devices. It is probable that unobtrusive data collection about application uses, connections, and access to digital resources will be needed to complement current field-based data collection methods. Data collection will focus on the ways in which disadvantaged workers create their digital collections and pursue work. The research will also involve integrating data collected unobtrusively. This project will employ graduate students who themselves come from disadvantaged backgrounds to contribute to their development and to gain from their perspectives. The research will contribute to our expectations for training and preparation of a digitally-enabled workforce of the future.

这项研究推进了我们对来自弱势背景的人如何在所谓的知识型零工经济中从事工作的理解，他们从事编程和写作等合同工作。该研究将深入研究这些工作人员如何获取，组装和组织数字资源，如移动的设备，软件和服务，存储，安全和互连，以完成他们的工作。这些员工，特别是如果他们没有办公室，可能会在咖啡店，图书馆，共同工作中心和其他移动的地方工作。有些人有常规的旅行线路，可以依靠共同工作的空间;有些人更像游牧民族。无论哪种方式，他们都必须组织和重新配置他们的工作资源，创建“移动的办公室”，提供认知空间（注意力）、物理空间（工作空间）、沟通（与他人的关系）和直接的工作资源。数字技术通常是必要的，需要技术和社会能力以及财政资源。最近的研究表明，这类工作可能会成为未来劳动力的一个更大的部分，这项研究的一个目标是更深入地了解使这类工作取得成功所需的条件，并确定来自弱势背景的工人（如单亲父母、农村工人等）的特殊挑战和需求。这项工作的第二个目标是开发更好的方法来收集合同工或零工的数据，以及如何了解这些工人的数字平台，应用程序和设备的替代用途。很可能需要关于应用程序使用、连接和访问数字资源的非侵入性数据收集，以补充当前基于现场的数据收集方法。数据收集将侧重于弱势工人创建数字收藏和从事工作的方式。这项研究还将涉及整合不引人注目地收集的数据。该项目将雇用来自弱势背景的研究生，为他们的发展做出贡献，并从他们的观点中获益。这项研究将有助于我们对未来数字化劳动力的培训和准备的期望。