The Formation And Development Of The Production Regime In The Taxi Industry

With the changes in national policies,the development of market economy,and the entry of platform capital,the taxi industry,as a supplement to traditional public transportation,is also facing significant changes in its development.Against the backdrop of multiple changes,the situation of taxi drivers has become a focus of social attention and research.In order to adapt to changing external conditions,the taxi industry has been continuously developing,presenting different industry development characteristics at different times.Against this background,this article takes the production regime theory as the analytical framework,selects the taxi industry in Jinan,Shandong Province as the research object,conducts interviews and observations,deeply understands the labor process of workers in this industry,and attempts to answer the following questions:firstly,what are the characteristics and changes of the labor process of taxi drivers in different periods?Secondly,what kind of political system and characteristics has the taxi industry formed in its development process?Based on the four key factors of the country,market,labor and reproduction,this paper uses the labor process theory and the production regime theory to study the actual labor situation and evolution process of taxi drivers in Jinan.Research has found that the labor of taxi drivers varies with changes in national policies and market demand,from "self labor" in the initial stage,labor under the "consent" of co construction with capital in the development stage,to passive labor in the transformation stage.The degree of control over the labor process by workers is gradually declining with the development of the industry,while the control of workers by management is gradually strengthening.The historical evolution of Jinan taxis is actually a process of multiple overlapping production regimes playing a role simultaneously,but at different times,production regimes with different characteristics dominate.In the initial stage,the state transferred some rights and the industry’s regulatory power was weak,encouraging the development of the industry through individuals.Individuals have ownership of labor tools,which is manifested in a clear "self management" style of self production government.During the development period,national regulations have begun to clarify,and taxi companies have increased their weight.Capital,through leasing contracts and the construction of a "car owner game" with workers,has enabled taxi drivers to identify with their control,forming a production regime with prominent hegemonic characteristics.During the transformation period,the total market demand has decreased,and the competition between new capital,new workers,taxi drivers,and taxi companies that have previously entered has become increasingly fierce.The overlapping of taxi driver production and reproduction and the change of company management have strengthened the hidden capital control again.