In a move that could revolutionize the gig economy, Emelie Fröberg, in collaboration with Wiley Wakeman (SSE DMO), Richard Wahlund (SSE DMS) and Jenny Säve-Söderbergh (Stockholm University), have received SEK 1,500,000 to conduct research “Pay Inequality Among Gig Workers: Interventions”. The team seeks to address the vexing issue of the gender pay gap in the gig economy. Their innovative approach? Developing effective, transferable interventions designed to empower female gig workers to pursue higher-paying tasks. However, the team is not blind to potential pitfalls - they acknowledge the possibility that these same interventions could inadvertently motivate men to increase their wage demands. Such a scenario could inadvertently perpetuate the very gender pay gap they aim to combat. Their guiding research question packs a punch: What is the most effective intervention to combat the persistent issue of gender pay disparity among online gig workers?

Anna Baturevich (PhD student) and her supervisors Holmer Kok and Anna Essén have been awarded SEK 2,000,000 to further investigate the topic of digital platforms, specifically in the healthcare context. In their research “Netdoctors casting the net: The impact of digital health platforms on health care in Sweden” the team will use experiments and qualitative methods to develop theory and practical insights about the relationship between digital health platforms (Netläkare) and third-party actors (physicians), and address how regulations affect this relationship. The results will challenge and complement existing research on the platform economy within research streams on strategy, management and information systems. Important contributions to Swedish policy development in this area will also be developed.

In the entrepreneurship field Qiujie Qiu (PhD student) and his supervisors Roxana Turturea and Holmer Kok will investigate “Experimentation in Tech Start-Ups”, for which the foundation granted SEK 1,800,000. The team will study the use of experimentation tools, such as A/B testing and early stage product releases, to improve strategic decision-making. They will conduct empirical studies on, first, whether - and if so under what conditions - experimental tools are beneficial for tech start-up performance, and, second, what decision-making processes are needed to choose the right experimental tools and ideas.

Walking hand-in-hand with technological development Charlotta Kronblad (a postdoc researcher) and her research collaborators Frida Pemer (SSE DMO) and Anna Jonsson (Lund Univeristy and the Principle Investigator for this research) have been granted SEK 1,800,000 to dive further into the intricacies of the artificial intelligence with their project “Let's have a chat about ChatGPT: A study of how private actors and chatbots are challenging the role of universities and (perhaps) influencing how we understand professional boundaries”.

Finally, House of Innovation have received a continuation of an existing Browaldh scholarship plus a new scholarship to support further recruitment of international tenure-track faculty. These will strength our research environment in the areas of innovation management and entrepreneurship, and in particular, industry-transformative innovation processes and digital entrepreneurship. Highly topical academically, these research areas are also of utmost importance for societal renewal.

We wish all the researchers exciting new discoveries!