Informal governance from below: Ride-hailing drivers and platform autonomy in Bogotá's gig economy

Lozano-Paredes, L

Informal governance from below: Ride-hailing drivers and platform autonomy in Bogotá's gig economy

Lozano-Paredes, L

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Publisher:: SAGE Publications
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Journal of Sociology

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Lozano-Paredes, L
dc.date.accessioned	2025-11-10T23:27:59Z
dc.date.available	2025-11-10T23:27:59Z
dc.identifier.citation	Journal of Sociology
dc.identifier.issn	1440-7833
dc.identifier.issn	1741-2978
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/190647
dc.description.abstract	<jats:p>This study examines the intersection of digital labour platforms and informal governance in Bogotá, Colombia, with a focus on the adaptive strategies employed by ride-hailing drivers within contexts of institutional fragility and urban inequality. Employing digital ethnography and visual methods, the research analyses the emergence of Drivers Club Bogotá, a grassroots network utilising technologies such as WhatsApp and Zello for coordination, mutual aid and resistance. The findings highlight how drivers created informal governance systems based on autonomy, reciprocity and dignity, effectively responding to institutional distrust and regulatory gaps, particularly intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. The article argues for adopting a ‘partner state’ policy framework, supporting grassroots innovations without compromising their autonomy, and expanding existing knowledge on platform governance by illustrating informal governance as simultaneously a pragmatic survival strategy and a form of institutional innovation.</jats:p>
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	SAGE Publications
dc.relation.ispartof	Journal of Sociology
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1177/14407833251391009
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	1606 Political Science, 1608 Sociology, 2002 Cultural Studies
dc.subject.classification	Sociology
dc.subject.classification	44 Human society
dc.title	Informal governance from below: Ride-hailing drivers and platform autonomy in Bogotá's gig economy
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.for	1606 Political Science
utslib.for	1608 Sociology
utslib.for	2002 Cultural Studies
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Provost
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Provost/TD School
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2025-11-10T23:27:56Z
pubs.publication-status	Published online

Abstract:

This study examines the intersection of digital labour platforms and informal governance in Bogotá, Colombia, with a focus on the adaptive strategies employed by ride-hailing drivers within contexts of institutional fragility and urban inequality. Employing digital ethnography and visual methods, the research analyses the emergence of Drivers Club Bogotá, a grassroots network utilising technologies such as WhatsApp and Zello for coordination, mutual aid and resistance. The findings highlight how drivers created informal governance systems based on autonomy, reciprocity and dignity, effectively responding to institutional distrust and regulatory gaps, particularly intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. The article argues for adopting a ‘partner state’ policy framework, supporting grassroots innovations without compromising their autonomy, and expanding existing knowledge on platform governance by illustrating informal governance as simultaneously a pragmatic survival strategy and a form of institutional innovation.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/190647