The Host Country Effect in the Platform Economy: Insights from Meal Delivery in Germany and Austria

This article investigates how "host country effects" shape the organization of online platform work in the context of meal delivery, using Lieferando—the market leader in both Germany and Austria—as a case study. Contrary to initial expectations that platform companies would diffuse globally standardized models of "gig work," Lieferando has pursued sharply divergent employment strategies in these two coordinated market economies: shifting to subcontracted delivery in Germany and adopting free service contracts ("Freie Dienstverträge") in Austria. Both changes have resulted in deteriorated conditions for delivery couriers, reflecting the influence of distinct national legal frameworks, institutional traditions, and the evolving strategies of transnational investors following the acquisition of Lieferando’s parent, Just Eat Takeaway, by Prosus. Despite robust traditions of employee representation and collective bargaining in both countries, recent developments underscore the vulnerability of platform workers to regulatory loopholes, capital-driven restructuring, and declining labour standards.