The Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) grew out of a deep commitment to strengthening the presence of the ILR School in New York City. Established in 1999 to serve as a bridge between ILR’s on-campus research faculty and our constituents working in the greater metropolitan area, IWS emphasizes the value of collaboration between academics and practice.
IWS provides opportunities for discussion and the exchange of ideas between ILR’s scholars and representatives from local academic, government, business, and labor communities in an effort to advance workplace practices, policies, and innovations. Through our educational programs and research dissemination, we hope to remind practitioners that research can inform their day-to-day work, while ensuring that academic research remains rooted in the actualities of the world.
Today the Institute is primarily focused on supporting and disseminating research on the “future of work” debates, especially the gig economy and digital labor.
IWS collaborates with the Aspen Institute’s Future of Work Initiative on the Gig Economy Data Hub, an online project to provide accessible, comprehensive information on the scope and nature of independent and gig work today; and supports research on the gig economy and the future of work.
