Regulating Platform Work in the UK and Italy: Politics, Law and Political Economy

The advent of the platform economy gives rise to an important challenge for existing systems of labour law across the world. Different countries are reacting to this common challenge with various legislative measures, ranging from accommodation to re-regulation. This paper analyses the policy response to the spread of platform work in the UK and Italy, countries with quite different labour law frameworks as well as contrasting political and regulatory institutions. These two countries have responded differently to the advent of the platform economy. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, the paper draws on theories from political science and comparative political economy to explain the different regulatory outcomes observed. Specifically, it is argued that policy and legislative outcomes can be explained by the relative power of political actors and interest groups which are shaped, in turn, by the national system of political parties and the existing industrial relations frameworks. Platform or Gig Economy, Platform Work, Law and Political Economy, Power Resources