The current anxiety around the globe regarding automation and “the future of work”, the irrelevance of human labour and the superfluity of humans is based on recurring ideas about technology, work and economic value. Not quite novel, the debate on these ideas dates back to prominent thinkers, such as Karl Marx and John Maynard Keynes. To grasp the present moment, therefore, the authors revisit this debate within the broader history of capitalism. With a focus on labour and technology, they bring attention to the hidden forms of value creation in the current economy and to the blind spots of the historical debate, and envision various possible scenarios for the future.
%0 Journal Article
%1 EKBIA_2019
%A Ekbia, Hamid R.
%A Nardi, Bonnie A.
%D 2019
%I Wiley
%J International Labour Review
%K John_Maynard_Keynes Karl_Marx automation capitalism future_of_work platform_work technological_change theory
%N 4
%P 653--676
%R 10.1111/ilr.12146
%T Keynes\textquotesingles grandchildren and Marx\textquotesingles gig workers: Why human labour still matters
%U https://doi.org/10.1111%2Filr.12146
%V 158
%X The current anxiety around the globe regarding automation and “the future of work”, the irrelevance of human labour and the superfluity of humans is based on recurring ideas about technology, work and economic value. Not quite novel, the debate on these ideas dates back to prominent thinkers, such as Karl Marx and John Maynard Keynes. To grasp the present moment, therefore, the authors revisit this debate within the broader history of capitalism. With a focus on labour and technology, they bring attention to the hidden forms of value creation in the current economy and to the blind spots of the historical debate, and envision various possible scenarios for the future.
@article{EKBIA_2019,
abstract = {The current anxiety around the globe regarding automation and “the future of work”, the irrelevance of human labour and the superfluity of humans is based on recurring ideas about technology, work and economic value. Not quite novel, the debate on these ideas dates back to prominent thinkers, such as Karl Marx and John Maynard Keynes. To grasp the present moment, therefore, the authors revisit this debate within the broader history of capitalism. With a focus on labour and technology, they bring attention to the hidden forms of value creation in the current economy and to the blind spots of the historical debate, and envision various possible scenarios for the future. },
added-at = {2020-02-11T11:03:11.000+0100},
author = {Ekbia, Hamid R. and Nardi, Bonnie A.},
biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/21db4b37b5f7dd3ac2ace54e70122c500/meneteqel},
doi = {10.1111/ilr.12146},
interhash = {c54eff26f6504d95a43f1ac37e97595c},
intrahash = {1db4b37b5f7dd3ac2ace54e70122c500},
journal = {International Labour Review},
keywords = {John_Maynard_Keynes Karl_Marx automation capitalism future_of_work platform_work technological_change theory},
month = oct,
number = 4,
pages = {653--676},
publisher = {Wiley},
timestamp = {2020-02-11T11:03:11.000+0100},
title = {Keynes{\textquotesingle}s grandchildren and Marx{\textquotesingle}s gig workers: Why human labour still matters},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111%2Filr.12146},
volume = 158,
year = 2019
}