Learning and Earning in This New Economy

A Study of Rideshare Drivers in Los Angeles

Benjamin Smith

ResearchPublished Jul 22, 2022

This study, and the resulting analysis that comprise this work, was an attempt to understand how gig workers, particularly Uber and Lyft drivers, find and perceive their employment, the money they make from it, and the things they spend it on.

This work is organized into chapters that follow drivers as they find or evaluate jobs, drive to meet their earning goals, pay their rent and bills, manage their relationships with others, and attempt to overcome physical pain, waning motivation, and their own shifting and sometimes nebulous goals.

Topics

Document Details

Citation

RAND Style Manual
Smith, Benjamin, Learning and Earning in This New Economy: A Study of Rideshare Drivers in Los Angeles, RAND Corporation, RGSD-A2147-1, 2022. As of October 11, 2024: https://www.rand.org/pubs/rgs_dissertations/RGSDA2147-1.html
Chicago Manual of Style
Smith, Benjamin, Learning and Earning in This New Economy: A Study of Rideshare Drivers in Los Angeles. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2022. https://www.rand.org/pubs/rgs_dissertations/RGSDA2147-1.html.
BibTeX RIS

Research conducted by

This document was submitted as a dissertation in December 2021 in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the doctoral degree in public policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. The faculty committee that supervised and approved the dissertation consisted of Katharine Sieck (Chair), Gery Ryan, and Katharine Carman.

Partial funding for this dissertation was provided by the Anne and James Rothenberg Scholarship and the Doris Dong Scholarship.

This publication is part of the RAND dissertation series. Pardee RAND dissertations are produced by graduate fellows of the Pardee RAND Graduate School, the world's leading producer of Ph.D.'s in policy analysis. The dissertations are supervised, reviewed, and approved by a Pardee RAND faculty committee overseeing each dissertation.

This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.

RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.