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

Cilt: 53 Sayı: 1 25 Haziran 2026
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Beyond the click: Neoliberal governmentality and platform delivery labor in Türkiye’s on-demand economy

Öz

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, lifethreatening 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. 

Anahtar Kelimeler

Algorithmic Management, Platform work, Governmentality, Platform labor, Türkiye

Destekleyen Kurum

Fieldwork for this study was partially supported by a small research grant from Central European University as part of the author’s MA thesis project. No other specific grant funding was received from public, commercial, or non-profit sectors.

Etik Beyan

This study is based on semi-structured interviews with moto-couriers and secondary data analysis. All interviews were conducted with the informed consent of participants, who were assured anonymity and confidentiality. No personal identifiers are disclosed in the article. The research complies with standard ethical guidelines for social science research.

Teşekkür

I would like to thank my professor at Central European University, Prof. Michael Merlingen, whose support and feedback during the design and implementation of the fieldwork were invaluable to this article. I also owe my sincere gratitude to Prof. Şerif Onur Bahçecik at Middle East Technical University, whose constructive criticism and continuous encouragement were instrumental in revising and shaping this article into its final form. Finally, I express my deepest thanks to all the participants and interviewees of this research for sharing their stories and allowing me to glimpse parts of their lives. Without their contributions and voices, this study would not have been possible.

Kaynakça

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  3. ATALAY, S. (2022), “The ones who die are lost and the survivors are what we have: Neoliberal governmentality and the governance of Covid-19 risk in social media posts in Turkey” Health, Risk & Society 24 (3–4): 127–148. https://doi.org/10.1080/13698575.2022.2056583.
  4. AYKUT, E. and YILDIRIM, K. (2018), “Neoliberalizm, ahbap çavuş kapitalizmi ve Türkiye” BirGün, 9 September 2018. https://www.birgun.net/makale/neoliberalizm-ahbap-cavus-kapitalizmi-ve-turkiye-229835
  5. BEER, D. (2016), Metric Power. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
  6. BRAUN, V. and CLARKE, V. (2006), “Using thematic analysis in psychology”, Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
  7. BRAUN, V. and CLARKE, V. (2021), Thematic analysis: A practical guide. Sage.
  8. BRENNER, N. and THEODORE, N. (2002), “Cities and geographies of actually existing neoliberalism”, Antipode 34 (3): 349–379. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8330.00246.
  9. BROWN, W. (2015), Undoing the Demos: Neoliberalism’s Stealth Revolution. New York: Zone Books.
  10. CEYLAN, B. (2022), “Labor Process and Work in Platform Capitalism: A Study on Motor-Couriers of Digital Platforms in Istanbul”, Master's thesis, Middle East Technical University, Ankara.

Kaynak Göster

APA
Kıyak, Z. (2026). Beyond the click: Neoliberal governmentality and platform delivery labor in Türkiye’s on-demand economy. ODTÜ Gelişme Dergisi, 53(1), 111-142. https://doi.org/10.60165/metusd.1773893
AMA
1.Kıyak Z. Beyond the click: Neoliberal governmentality and platform delivery labor in Türkiye’s on-demand economy. ODTÜ Gelişme Dergisi. 2026;53(1):111-142. doi:10.60165/metusd.1773893
Chicago
Kıyak, Zeynep. 2026. “Beyond the click: Neoliberal governmentality and platform delivery labor in Türkiye’s on-demand economy”. ODTÜ Gelişme Dergisi 53 (1): 111-42. https://doi.org/10.60165/metusd.1773893.
EndNote
Kıyak Z (01 Haziran 2026) Beyond the click: Neoliberal governmentality and platform delivery labor in Türkiye’s on-demand economy. ODTÜ Gelişme Dergisi 53 1 111–142.
IEEE
[1]Z. Kıyak, “Beyond the click: Neoliberal governmentality and platform delivery labor in Türkiye’s on-demand economy”, ODTÜ Gelişme Dergisi, c. 53, sy 1, ss. 111–142, Haz. 2026, doi: 10.60165/metusd.1773893.
ISNAD
Kıyak, Zeynep. “Beyond the click: Neoliberal governmentality and platform delivery labor in Türkiye’s on-demand economy”. ODTÜ Gelişme Dergisi 53/1 (01 Haziran 2026): 111-142. https://doi.org/10.60165/metusd.1773893.
JAMA
1.Kıyak Z. Beyond the click: Neoliberal governmentality and platform delivery labor in Türkiye’s on-demand economy. ODTÜ Gelişme Dergisi. 2026;53:111–142.
MLA
Kıyak, Zeynep. “Beyond the click: Neoliberal governmentality and platform delivery labor in Türkiye’s on-demand economy”. ODTÜ Gelişme Dergisi, c. 53, sy 1, Haziran 2026, ss. 111-42, doi:10.60165/metusd.1773893.
Vancouver
1.Zeynep Kıyak. Beyond the click: Neoliberal governmentality and platform delivery labor in Türkiye’s on-demand economy. ODTÜ Gelişme Dergisi. 01 Haziran 2026;53(1):111-42. doi:10.60165/metusd.1773893