Defining and Protecting Autonomous Work: A Multidisciplinary Approach

This book, adopting a multidisciplinary approach, investigates the definition of autonomous work and the kind of protection it receives and should receive in a global perspective. The book advocates for the existence of genuine autonomous work to be distinguished from employment and false self-employment. It deserves specific attention from legislators in the view of removing any obstacles to the exercise of freedom of association and collective action at large.

The book is divided into two parts. The first focuses on the evolving notion of autonomy and its consequences on social protection, offering a theoretical frame from an organizational, political and legal point of view. The second aims at discovering new regulatory and protective horizons for autonomous work, in the light of blockchain, platform work, EU Competition Law, social security and liberal professions. Finally, the authors offer insights and recommendations on how to protect work beyond categories.

Tindara Addabbo is Full Professor of Economic Policy, Department of Economics Marco Biagi, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. Main research areas: labour economics, well-being, gender budgeting and policies evaluation.

Edoardo Ales is Full Professor of Labour Law and Industrial Relations at the Department of Law of the University of Naples ’Parthenope’ (Italy). He also teaches Social and Labour Market Regulation at the LUISS - G. Carli in Rome (Italy). He is invited professor of Comparative and International Labour Law at the Pontifical Lateran University (Vatican State).

Ylenia Curzi, Ph.D. in Business Science, is Associate Professor of Organization and Human Resource Management at the ＂Marco Biagi＂ Department of Economics of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (Italy). She is member of the Scientific Committee at the Marco Biagi Foundation. She was a visiting scholar at Cardiff Business School (Wales, UK).

Olga Rymkevich is Researcher in Labour Law and Industrial Relations at the Marco Biagi Foundation of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy.

Iacopo Senatori is Assistant Professor of Labour Law at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. Member of the Academic Advisory Board of the Marco Biagi Foundation, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. He has been the principal investigator in several international research projects co-funded by the European Commission.