6: Managing the Bitworker Economy

This chapter investigates how our understanding of an economy changes in a Bitworker and Bit task world. How do our established institutions and Policy Tools work in this world?

Moving away from the Bitworker to now consider the macro-level effects of these disruptive triumvirate technologies, our main concern must be the lack of uniformity in how these benefits are received, perhaps allocated, across societies. The commoditisation of previously skilled and semi-skilled labour may further marginalise many within the ever increasing left-behind who fail to receive the benefits of globalisation and technological enhancements relative to often the incumbent power and educated classes. The consequences for how this may play out in our politics and international affairs would be of concern to us all and arguably not a world within which we would wish to live and work. Indeed, protections must be in place to ensure that workers are not exploited and perhaps more importantly, do not perceive themselves to be exploited.