Work packages

Through a transdisciplinary and multilevel methodological approach, the INCA project will fulfil the envisioned work plan, organised in work packages (WP).  The workflow explained in the Approach section matches the work packages’ arrangement, as each action to be carried out in the intersection between the workflows (theoretical research, empirical research and participatory actions) and the three spheres that will be covered (politics, economics and culture) represents a work package.

Thus, nine work packages will define the core research work of the project, and apart from those, additional work packages will be devoted to dissemination and communication activities and the Think Tank; coordination and management and ethics requirements

WP1 is aimed at elaborating a robust and innovative historical paradigm for interpreting the shifting relationships between industrial revolutions (first, second, third, and 4.0) and democratic institutional configurations.

This WP aims to trace the historic lineage of platforms that led them to become an organisational model in contemporary labour and capitalism.

The general objective of WP3 is to investigate the narrative that captures the social and political self-image that big-tech companies project in their public discourse, as well as to understand the impact this corporate communication has on citizens’ perception of the companies’ role in society and political processes.

The main aim of WP4 is to assess the real political influence of big-tech corporations on the political process of the European Union, including the analysis of their influence in the implementation and interpretation of laws once adopted

This WP will highlight the specificities of industrial relations within the platform economy and the changes and challenges that platformisation has induced on labour relations. Additionally, codes of conduct and policies will be defined for a fairer industrial relation

The main activity in this WP will be to develop, conduct and analyse the results of a survey in 15 EU countries, to examine public perception of the responsibility and accountability of big-tech corporations in democratic processes, their perceived corporate image, and levels of public trust

This WP will create three Open Innovation Labs at the city level in three European cities (Bologna, Bucharest and Barcelona) involving a set of stakeholders for the co-creation of experimental forms of governance able to tackle the disruptive effects of corporate political power and to trace possible alternatives

This WP aims to identify and detail viable alternative business models in the platform economy, and to assess the transferability of recommendations and codes of conduct for institutional reforms within organisations

WP9’s objective is to boost the societal and educational impact of the project. On the one hand, an educational module for schools will be developed, tested and launched. On the other hand, two dissemination materials will be produced with the results collected in WP 1-6: a video documentary on the impact of big-tech companies on European societies and an exhibition

The principal purpose of this WP is to ensure effective internal and external communication and knowledge transfer, as well as raise awareness about the risks and consequences of the uncontrolled hegemony of digital platforms.

One of the most important outcomes of this WP is the creation and launch of the INCA Think Tank, a permanent observatory of digital corporations and their political impact, a space for networking activities and organization of events.

The main objective of WP11 is to ensure the effective management and technical coordination of INCA

The objective of WP12 is to ensure compliance with the ethics requirements that can arise throughout the project.