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A Study of the Impact of Government Regulation on Job Satisfaction of Platform Workers

Author(s)

Zhi Yang

Affiliation(s)

School of Finance, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu, Sichuan, China *Corresponding Author

Abstract

This paper empirically investigates the impact of government algorithmic regulation on platform workers' job satisfaction based on the 2010-2022 China Family Tracking Survey (CFPS) data and provincial administrative data. It is found that there is a threshold effect of government regulation - when administrative effectiveness is below the threshold, regulatory policies significantly increase worker satisfaction by optimizing algorithmic rules; however, when effectiveness exceeds the threshold, regulatory intensity is negatively correlated with satisfaction, mainly due to platforms transferring compliance costs to workers. Heterogeneity analysis shows that regulatory inhibition effects are significant in high digitization areas, while government effectiveness directly promotes satisfaction in low digitization areas. The study suggests implementing a differentiated regulatory framework, establishing a dynamic feedback mechanism, and promoting collaborative governance between the central and local governments to solve the "rules and regulations" dilemma, which provides policy insights for balancing the development of the platform economy and the protection of workers' rights and interests.

Keywords

Platform Economy; Government Regulation; Labor Rights; Algorithmic Control; Threshold Effect

References

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