Is Uber a Threat to Democracy?

The nature of work is changing, not simply due to technology, but also a labor force willing to provide services and skills at low prices as well as consumers who demand low costs and fast service. Economists often point to Uber – a driving service that relies on the internet to match willing drivers with clients in need of car service – as a disruptive business, undermining official taxi services and local regulations of such services. “In terms of work, Uber creates more jobs than it destroys,” explains Kemal Derviş for Project Syndicate. “Taxi drivers are being asked to adjust in a matter of days rather than years, leaving democratic systems little time to determine how much compensation they should receive and how it should be distributed.” The do-it-yourself businesses, organized by the tech-savvy who also accrue profits, may increase efficiency, yet are not easy to tax or regulate. Derviş urges “new social and regulatory policies, often global in nature” for the new do-it-yourself culture that relies on technology. – YaleGlobal