Beyond the click: Neoliberal governmentality and platform delivery labor in Türkiye’s on-demand economy

Date

2026-6-25

Author

Kıyak, Zeynep

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This article examines platform governance in the context of platform delivery work in Türkiye through a Foucauldian governmentality perspective. It argues that governance operates through a set of productive power techniques embedded in everyday work processes, shaping couriers’ conduct by structuring their field of action rather than through direct coercion. Algorithmic techniques encourage couriers to internalize market rationalities, aligning behavior with platform profitability while intensifying precarious and, at times, life- threatening working conditions. Situating these dynamics within the Turkish context, where platform delivery work has become a primary means of livelihood for many under economic instability, such governance techniques generate more severe and consequential outcomes. The article also demonstrates that recent regulatory reforms in Türkiye fail to address the governance techniques that produce such conditions. By combining a governmental perspective with a context-sensitive analysis, the article contributes to existing debates by identifying distinct power techniques shaping platform delivery work and by extending analysis beyond Global North contexts.

Subject Keywords

Platform work, Governmentality, Algorithmic Management, Platform labor, Türkiye, Platform emeği, algoritmik yönetim, yönetimsellik, esnaf kurye, Türkiye

URI

https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/metusd/article/1773893
https://hdl.handle.net/11511/119761

Collections

Department of Economics, Article