Wage Against the Machine

Although we welcome all subscribers, we write for policy-makers, union reps, think tankers, academics, and civil society folks who are interested in the future of work and the politics behind the digital transition. We will point to sources that provide broader critiques, novel viewpoints or empirical results, on topics like algorithmic management and data protection at work, platform work, automation, (digital) skills, and big tech. With the EU being the main focus.

The aim is to be policy relevant, but we will not track legislative proposals in detail – there are better sources for that. Finally, we will only cover the future of work debate insofar as it pertains to technology – without being techno-solutionist or tech-determinist.

The newsletter follows the structure of our Digital Archive. We may tweak this in the future, depending on your feedback. So for now, we have 3 thematic sections:

1. Algorithms and data at work: how digital tech affects workers and their rights (keywords: algorithms, platform work, data protection and governance).
2. Automation, AI, and labour markets: Impact of tech on labour markets and the economy (keywords: automation, robots, productivity, generative AI, skills).
3. Political economy of digital: Broad critiques of the digital transition, beyond work (keywords: big tech, surveillance, digital capitalism).

Each newsletter is written in an opiniated and personal style, by a member of the team or, occasionally, an outside commentator. This does not reflect the official position of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. For the immediate future, the author will be Justin Nogarede, who will introduce himself below.