Abstract

We are increasingly surrounded by talk of digitalization. Yet, we remain unsure about what impact this digitalization will have upon socio-economic institutions, how the introduction of this digitalization will be contested, the likely role of the state in managing the adoption of digital technology, and the likely consequences for the broader political economy if and when it is introduced. This article examines the process of digitalization as it has unfolded in the service sector in Japan. Based on qualitative interviews with managers in the hospitality industry and union officials, the paper depicts a process that contrasts starkly with the more optimistic view adopted by some commentators, according to which digitalization has the potential to improve working conditions and contribute to a more stable form of growth. Instead, the paper draws on Regulation Theory to argue that the introduction of digitalization is part of a wider process of neoliberalization. As such, digitalization has contributed to deskilling, the fragmentation of work tasks, a digital divide, the intensification of work, and higher levels of workplace surveillance. This represents a further dismantling of the social compromise that underpinned Japan’s earlier period of economic growth.

摘要

我们越来越多地谈论数字化。然而，我们仍然不确定这种数字化将对社会经济机构产生什么影响，这种数字化的引入将如何受到质疑，国家在管理数字技术采用方面可能发挥的作用，以及对更广泛的政治可能产生的影响经济是否以及何时引入。本文探讨了日本服务业的数字化进程。基于对酒店业管理人员和工会官员的定性访谈，本文描述了一个过程，与一些评论员采用的更为乐观的观点形成鲜明对比，根据这些观点，数字化有可能改善工作条件并有助于形成更稳定的形式的增长。反而，该论文借鉴监管理论认为，数字化的引入是更广泛的新自由化进程的一部分。因此，数字化促成了去技能化、工作任务的碎片化、数字鸿沟、工作强度以及更高水平的工作场所监控。这代表着进一步瓦解支撑日本早期经济增长的社会妥协。