Digitalization of informality (DIoIN)

The DIoIN project investigates the interplay among the digital labor market, emerging technologies, and the experiences of informality in the working class of the Global South. Going beyond a localized focus, it aligns with Michael Burawoy's call for a global ethnography. The relationship between the Global South's economic periphery and the post-industrial center of the Global North doesn't follow a developmental trajectory but rather involves displacement due to neoliberal transformation and automation. Ulrich Beck suggests a "Brazilianization of Europe" rather than a “Europeanization of Brazil” in the face of new forms of work. Digital labor and platforms play crucial roles in formalizing informality while simultaneously fostering an informalization of labor. The decline of labor guarantees from the Fordist-Keynesian era, when seen from the Global South's perspective, represents a generalization of labor conditions rather than a disruptive change. The ideology of self-entrepreneurship finds its roots in the survival strategies of the marginal pole, with platforms using digital tools and management strategies to organize crowds of formally independent workers. The DIoIN project aims to investigate the connection between informality and the digitalization of work through research in Rio de Janeiro, using a qualitative methodology. This research focuses on the penetration of digital platforms into the informal sector, including ride-hailing and food delivery platforms. Moreover, it extends its scope to encompass digital microwork and e-commerce platforms.