Park, M., Budiman, J., Gandhi, A, Sucahyo, YG, Foster, C. & Heeks, R. 2026. Contextualizing Digital Platforms in the Informal Economy: Policy and Reality in Jakarta, Indonesia. Journal of Urban Affairs, Early view
Abstract
In recent years, many cities worldwide have witnessed a dynamic shift in their urban economic landscapes, driven by the rapid rise of digital platforms that intersect with urban governance. Despite a range of cases across the so-called “informal sector” (e.g., motorcycle taxis and domestic work), existing literature provides little empirical material that sketches out concrete landscapes of how we can understand the expansion of digital platforms in specific real-life contexts of informality in a particular country.
In response, this paper offers a useful methodological approach to understanding the intersection of digital platforms and urban informality by illustrating the emerging platform landscape in the informal economy. Specifically, it aims to convey the policy context and local atmosphere where digital platforms meet urban informality.
It finds that governments or policymakers are not so “unresponsive” in responding to the growing digital economy—both in terms of seizing the opportunity and addressing the challenges. The vignette of real-life experiences from the informal sector also presented in the paper then gives us a hint as to what areas need attention in relation to platform policies.
Previous versions
Park, M., Budiman, J., Sucahyo, YG, Foster, C. & Heeks, R. 2025, Contextualising digital platforms in the informal economy: Policy and Reality in Jakarta, Indonesia. Digital Development Working Paper Series, No. 114, Global Development Institute, University of Manchester, UK