Product markets and working conditions on international and regional food delivery platforms: A study in Poland and Italy

Abstract

Researchers search for factors explaining the disruptive impact of labour platforms on work, yet very few studies explore how platforms approach product markets and the resultant effects on platform workers’ working conditions. Looking at this question, this paper studies distinct but similar international and regional food delivery platforms in Poland and Italy, exploring which factors explain differences in their working conditions. Two findings emerge. Firstly, international and regional platforms differ substantially in terms of how they approach product markets. Secondly, these differences account for the variety within (and across) platforms’ employment outcomes.