Varieties of platform capitalism? Competition, regime types and the diversity of food delivery platforms across Europe and North America.

This article examines the diversity of platform models in the food delivery sector across 32 countries in Europe and North America, challenging the prevailing notion of a uniform "platform capitalism" model characterized by self-employed labor and monopoly dominance. Using a unique cross-national dataset, the study finds considerable variation in employment relationships—ranging from self-employment to traditional employment and subcontracting—especially across different national institutional regimes. While North American platforms largely conform to the self-employment model, European platforms exhibit significant diversity influenced by competitive dynamics among multinational corporations and distinct regulatory frameworks categorized into regime types such as Anglo-American, Continental, Mediterranean, Nordic, and Eastern European. The findings suggest that platform companies adapt their organizational models in response to local institutional conditions and competition, underscoring the relevance of economic sociology and comparative capitalism theories in understanding the platform economy beyond the limited North American-centric perspective.