Two Narratives of Platform Capitalism

12 Pages Posted: 19 Jul 2017

See all articles by Frank Pasquale

Frank Pasquale

Cornell Law School; Cornell Tech

Date Written: July 14, 2017

Abstract

One may challenge conventional narratives of platform capitalism by contesting the empirical validity of their factual foundations. Such an empirical approach is one way of pursuing a fruitful hermeneutics of suspicion. But it is not sufficient to dislodge conventional narratives from the heuristics so often resorted to by policymakers. Rather, just as it “takes a theory to beat a theory,” a plausible counternarrative is far more likely to displace a conventional narrative than isolated empirical challenges to the conventional narrative’s factual foundations. This essay develops a counternarrative to dominant approaches to platform capitalism.

Keywords: Platform Capitalism, Neoliberal Economics, Empirical Approaches, Gig Economy, Sharing Economy, Competition, Regulation, Cooperativism

Suggested Citation

Pasquale, Frank A., Two Narratives of Platform Capitalism (July 14, 2017). 35 Yale Law & Policy Review 309 (2016), U of Maryland Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2017-20, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3002529

Frank A. Pasquale (Contact Author)

Cornell Law School ( email )

Myron Taylor Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853

Cornell Tech ( email )

111 8th Avenue #302
New York, NY 10011
United States

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