Digital Solidarity Economy

Summary

This project investigates how workers in the digital labour economy are experimenting with and imagining alternatives to corporate digital labour platforms through the framework of digital solidarity economies. We focus in particular on the role of the state in addressing structural inequities and their intersections with digital solidarity initiatives, drawing on insights from the South Asian context. Our ongoing study examines the Lunch Bell project—a state-supported, women-centred meal delivery platform in Kerala, India—which exemplifies a digital solidarity economy by promoting sustainability and tackling gender inequalities through an inclusive labour model.

Papers

1) Thuppilikkat, Ashique Ali, and Priyank Chandra. “ Kudumbashree’s Lunch Bell project and digital solidarity economy in Kerala, India.” Internet Policy Review (upcoming)

Conferences

1) Thuppilikkat, Ashique and Priyank Chandra. ‘Women, Platforms, and State Power: The Lunch Bell Project and Digital Solidarity Economies in Kerala.’ International Network on Digital Labor-8 (INDL), Bologna, Italy on 10-12 September 2025.

2) Thuppilikkat, Ashique Ali. `Big Tech and Worker Alternatives.’ Cyber-Marx @25: reflecting on 25 years of impact. Centre for Culture and Technology, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada February 28, 2025.