IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/sbusec/v55y2020i2d10.1007_s11187-019-00240-y.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

On the critical role of freelancers in agile economies

Author

Listed:
  • Andrew Burke

    (Trinity College)

  • Marc Cowling

    (University of Derby)

Abstract

The most dynamic economies in the world are characterised by an entrepreneurial, innovation-driven business sector. And this requires firms to unburden themselves from bureaucratic constraints and become more agile and flexible. A key, and hitherto ignored, agent in this transformative process is the freelancer. Historically considered as displaced and disenfranchised workers, we argue that many freelancers are in fact highly skilled professionals who choose this form of work organisation. Further, their role in providing specialist expertise and knowledge to the firms they engage with is critical and mutually beneficial as it allows firms to adopt more flexible and agile business models capable of responding to a dynamic and rapidly changing business environment.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrew Burke & Marc Cowling, 2020. "On the critical role of freelancers in agile economies," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 55(2), pages 393-398, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:sbusec:v:55:y:2020:i:2:d:10.1007_s11187-019-00240-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s11187-019-00240-y
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11187-019-00240-y
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11187-019-00240-y?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Michael D. S. Morris & Alexander Vekker, 2001. "An Alternative Look at Temporary Workers, Their Choices, and the Growth in Temporary Employment," Journal of Labor Research, Transaction Publishers, vol. 22(2), pages 373-390, April.
    2. Marc Cowling, 2000. "Are entrepreneurs different across countries?," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 7(12), pages 785-789.
    3. Cowling, Marc & Taylor, Mark, 2001. "Entrepreneurial Women and Men: Two Different Species?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 16(3), pages 167-175, May.
    4. Simon Deakin, 2005. "The comparative evolution of the employment relationship," Working Papers wp317, Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge.
    5. David Audretsch & Roy Thurik, 2004. "A Model of the Entrepreneurial Economy," Papers on Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy 2004-12, Max Planck Institute of Economics, Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy Group.
    6. David, Audretsch & Donald, Kuratko & Albert, Link, 2015. "Making Sense of the Elusive Paradigm of Entrepreneurship," UNCG Economics Working Papers 15-4, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Department of Economics.
    7. Deakin, Simon & Wilkinson, Frank, 2005. "The Law of the Labour Market: Industrialization, Employment, and Legal Evolution," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198152811.
    8. Jiaochen Liang & Stephan Goetz, 2016. "Self-employment and trade shock mitigation," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 46(1), pages 45-56, January.
    9. Elke J. Jahn & Regina T. Riphahn & Claus Schnabel, 2012. "Feature: Flexible Forms of Employment: Boon and Bane," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 122(562), pages 115-124, August.
    10. Beth A. Bechky, 2006. "Gaffers, Gofers, and Grips: Role-Based Coordination in Temporary Organizations," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 17(1), pages 3-21, February.
    11. Eilbirt, Henry, 1959. "The Development of Personnel Management in the United States," Business History Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 33(3), pages 345-364, October.
    12. David J. Teece & Gary Pisano & Amy Shuen, 1997. "Dynamic capabilities and strategic management," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(7), pages 509-533, August.
    13. David B. Audretsch, 1995. "Innovation and Industry Evolution," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262011468, December.
    14. Jiaochen Liang & Stephan J. Goetz, 2016. "Self-employment and trade shock mitigation," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 46(1), pages 45-56, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Milena Nikolova & Boris Nikolaev & Christopher Boudreaux, 2023. "Being your own boss and bossing others: the moderating effect of managing others on work meaning and autonomy for the self-employed and employees," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 60(2), pages 463-483, February.
    2. Robert Blackburn & Stephen Machin & Maria Ventura, 2023. "The self-employment trap?," CEP Covid-19 Analyses cepcovid-19-030, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    3. Varun Gupta & Jose Maria Fernandez-Crehuet & Chetna Gupta & Thomas Hanne, 2020. "Freelancing Models for Fostering Innovation and Problem Solving in Software Startups: An Empirical Comparative Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-29, December.
    4. Ivona Huđek & Polona Tominc & Karin Širec, 2021. "The Impact of Social and Cultural Norms, Government Programs and Digitalization as Entrepreneurial Environment Factors on Job and Career Satisfaction of Freelancers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-20, January.
    5. Varun Gupta & Jose Maria Fernandez-Crehuet & Thomas Hanne, 2020. "Fostering Continuous Value Proposition Innovation through Freelancer Involvement in Software Startups: Insights from Multiple Case Studies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-35, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Andrew Burke & Imran Zawwar & Stephanie Hussels, 2020. "Do freelance independent contractors promote entrepreneurship?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 55(2), pages 415-427, August.
    2. Andrew Burke & Marc Cowling, 2020. "The relationship between freelance workforce intensity, business performance and job creation," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 55(2), pages 399-413, August.
    3. Landström, Hans & Harirchi, Gouya & Åström, Fredrik, 2012. "Entrepreneurship: Exploring the knowledge base," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(7), pages 1154-1181.
    4. Silveli Cristo-Andrade & João J. Ferreira, 2020. "Knowledge spillovers and strategic entrepreneurship: what researches and approaches?," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 263-286, March.
    5. Stephan, Michael, 2013. "Theorien der Industrieevolution," Discussion Papers on Strategy and Innovation 13-03, Philipps-University Marburg, Department of Technology and Innovation Management (TIM).
    6. María Jesús Abellán Madrid & Antonio García-Tabuenca & Cristina Suárez Gálvez, 2015. "R&D investments and firm survival across regions," Chapters, in: Charlie Karlsson & Urban Gråsjö & Sofia Wixe (ed.), Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Global Economy, chapter 1, pages 21-43, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    7. Enrico Santarelli & Hien Thu Tran, 2012. "Growth of Incumbent Firms and Entrepreneurship in V ietnam," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(4), pages 638-666, December.
    8. Vivek Ghosal, 2015. "Business Strategy and Firm Reorganization: Role of Changing Environmental Standards, Sustainable Business Initiatives and Global Market Conditions," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(2), pages 123-144, February.
    9. repec:cii:cepiei:2014-q2-138-2 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Yannis Caloghirou & Ioannis Giotopoulos & Alexandra Kontolaimou & Aggelos Tsakanikas, 2022. "Inside the black box of high-growth firms in a crisis-hit economy: corporate strategy, employee human capital and R&D capabilities," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 18(3), pages 1319-1345, September.
    11. Joost van Acht & Joop Stam & Roy Thurik & Ingrid Verheul, 2004. "Business Ownership and Unemployment in Japan," Papers on Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy 2004-09, Max Planck Institute of Economics, Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy Group.
    12. Kim, Jungho & Lee, Chang-Yang, 2016. "Technological regimes and firm survival," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(1), pages 232-243.
    13. Elias G. Carayannis & Gaye Acikdilli & Christopher Ziemnowicz, 2020. "Creative Destruction in International Trade: Insights from the Quadruple and Quintuple Innovation Helix Models," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 11(4), pages 1489-1508, December.
    14. Hans Löfsten & Anders Isaksson & Heikki Rannikko, 2023. "Entrepreneurial networks, geographical proximity, and their relationship to firm growth: a study of 241 small high-tech firms," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 48(6), pages 2280-2306, December.
    15. Linda Argote & Henrich R. Greve, 2007. "A Behavioral Theory of the Firm ---40 Years and Counting: Introduction and Impact," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 18(3), pages 337-349, June.
    16. Zhou, H. & Uhlaner, L.M., 2009. "Knowledge Management as a Strategic Tool to Foster Innovativeness of SMEs," ERIM Report Series Research in Management ERS-2009-025-ORG, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
    17. Enrico Santarelli & Marco Vivarelli, 2007. "Entrepreneurship and the process of firms’ entry, survival and growth," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 16(3), pages 455-488, June.
    18. Pankaj C. Patel & Cornelius A. Rietveld & Jack I. Richter, 2022. "The relation between public assistance and self-employment in census tracts: a long-term perspective," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 32(3), pages 891-927, July.
    19. Laborda Castillo Leopoldo & Guasch Jose Luis & Sotelsek Salem Daniel, 2011. "Entrepreneurship Capital and Technical Efficiency: The Role of New Business/Firms as a Conduit of Knowledge Spillovers," Entrepreneurship Research Journal, De Gruyter, vol. 1(4), pages 1-24, October.
    20. Andrew Burke & Stuart Fraser, 2005. "The Impact of Intellectual Property Rights on Self-Employed Entrepreneurship: an International Analysis," Papers on Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy 2005-13, Max Planck Institute of Economics, Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy Group.
    21. Diestre, Luis & Lumineau, Fabrice & Durand, Rodolphe, 2023. "Litigate or let it go? Multi-market contact and IP infringement-litigation dynamics," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(6).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:sbusec:v:55:y:2020:i:2:d:10.1007_s11187-019-00240-y. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.