Abstract
Online labor markets (OLMs) are an integral part of the sharing economy. While these platforms offer huge matching efficiencies and cost benefits, managing performance in their projects is still a challenge. Taking an agency theory perspective, we study the determinants of project performance in the context of OLMs. We theorize pre-contract OLM-related features that can serve as a credible signal to alleviate problems about hidden information about an agent’s type. Moreover, we investigate how OLM-related factors interact with the (post-contract) problem of hidden action, which eventually influences the performance in OLMs. Using an extensive and novel dataset from Upwork - a leading OLM platform worldwide - we test our theoretical arguments and provide implications for research and practice.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication date | 2018 |
| Number of pages | 40 |
| Publication status | Published - 2018 |
| Event | DRUID18 Conference - Copenhagen Business School, Frederiksberg, Denmark Duration: 11 Jun 2018 → 13 Jun 2018 Conference number: 40 https://conference.druid.dk/Druid/?confId=57 |
Conference
| Conference | DRUID18 Conference |
|---|---|
| Number | 40 |
| Location | Copenhagen Business School |
| Country/Territory | Denmark |
| City | Frederiksberg |
| Period | 11/06/2018 → 13/06/2018 |
| Internet address |
Keywords
- Sharing economy
- Online labor markets
- Transaction costs
- Gig economy