The Evolution of the Online Platform Economy: Evidence from Five Years of Banking Data

摘要

A significant and growing fraction of families generate income through the Online Platform Economy powered by digital marketplaces that connect independent suppliers to buyers of goods and services, with third parties ("platforms") mediating payment. It provides families with new options for generating income using their time, skills, or property. How are these options affecting families' financial lives, and do they offer viable new ways to make a living?Measuring supply-side participation has been a challenge in labor surveys (Current Population Survey Staff 2018). Government administrative data have helped to fill some of the gaps (Abraham et al. 2018).