Call for Proposals: Advancing Evidence on Digital Platform Work in LMICs

Through foundational work—including a literature review and field studies in India, Indonesia, and Kenya—they’ve identified critical gaps in their understanding of:

• How platform work can be made more welfare-improving for gig workers through algorithmic changes and/or platform add-ons,
• The impact of platform work on labour outcomes, economic well-being, and financial inclusion.

Scope of the Studies

• The studies must be focused on:
  • Digital labor platforms (as defined by the ILO) that algorithmically mediate work assignments (e.g., ride-hailing, domestic work, deliveries)
  • Location-based services and low-capital work requiring minimal assets (e.g., motorcycle taxis, but not car-based services unless accessible to low-income populations)
  • Low-capital services (excluding platforms which require investment into an expensive asset such as a car).
• Studies on car driving will likely not qualify but exceptions can be made if it is demonstrated that these platforms are available for income-constrained populations (e.g., Uber offers favorable terms on car rentals which makes car driving accessible to individuals who do not own cars). Job matching platforms are out of scope for this study.
• Grants will be given to different research teams working in different contexts; however, to create coherence of the research findings, researchers who are given grants will be asked to collaborate with each other and synchronize measurements, where possible.
• Preferences will be given to application that meet the following criteria:
  • Methods:
    • Causal studies with a descriptive component (e.g., characterization of workers based on the platform administrative data) ○ Rigorous evaluation methods: RCTs or convincing quasi-experimental designs
    • Research that combines causal in-field experiments and a descriptive component (e.g., descriptive study is a baseline for the causal study)
    • Samples should be representative of the relevant population
  • Sectors:
    • Researchers studying understudied sectors/platforms as identified in the literature review (e.g., women-dominated platforms will be given preference)
    • Demonstrated connections with existing platforms via:
    • Letter of collaboration or MOU signed with the partner (with explicit permission to publish the results),
    • Access to administrative data
  • Timeline:
    • Research project should start work within 3 months after the contract signing
    • Preferences will be given to researchers who already have deep relationships with platforms and fleshed out ideas with promising interventions (e.g., the platform already piloted an intervention and there are promising results)
  • Geography:
    • Low- and middle-income countries (LMIC)
  • Themes:
    • Research contains questions related to financial inclusion (e.g., study of an embedded loan product)
    • Research themes are understudied (e.g., impacts of algorithmic management on workers)
    • Research themes are grounded in policy-relevant questions and inform decisions for the platform partner
    • Interventions which are in-line with platform goals to ensure future sustainability
    • Research must include gender lens where relevant

Funding Information

• Grants of $100,000 to $500,000 will be awarded to 3–4 outstanding proposals that aim to improve the understanding and welfare of digital gig workers.

Eligibility Criteria

• Researchers affiliated with universities or other research institutions.

For more information, visit IDinsight.