Amsterdam and the Platform Economy

URL study guide

https://studiegids.vu.nl/en/courses/2024-2025/R_APE

Course Objective

(a) Subject-specific learning outcomes Upon the completion of this course, the student:
• has basic knowledge of the core doctrines of contract law and public law in a national context
• the means or choice of regulation
• the differences between negotiated and non-negotiated contracts and the policing thereof
• of the role of courts and human rights in limiting the exercise of public authority (b) Academic learning outcomes Upon completion of the course the student is able:
• to read primary legal sources in the area of contract law and public law
• to identify different legal regimes that regulate the same societal problem
• to apply legal rules to (simplified) cases involving contract law and public law
• to offer interpretations of rules in light of changing circumstances
• to summarise and to articulate legal rules, principles, case law and academic literature pertaining to the selected topics of the course (c) Social and communication learning outcomes Upon completion of the course, the student is able:
• to summarise case law and academic literature in their own words in writing
• to present a summary of a judicial decision or academic writing in their own words
• to provide feedback on the work of other students (d) Study skills and professional orientation Upon completion of the course, the student is able:
• to find relevant legal sources such as legal rules and principles, jurisprudence and academic literature pertaining to the topics of the course
• to select reliable sources to solve basic legal problems
• to apply the necessary learning and study skills to reflect on his own learning process.

Course Content

Contract law and public law provide the legal infrastructure of the platform-economy. Contracts are concluded between the platform and the supplier/prosumer, the platform and the consumer, on the one hand, and between the supplier and the consumer on the other hand. Within the life of contract, the following issues are distinguished: formation of the contract, content of the contract and the remedies. These issues will be discussed as well as the different types of contract and the way weaker parties are protected. However, these contracts also produce externalities. They affect, for instance, the housing market and public policy in general. In the second part of this course, it will be discussed how and to what extent public authorities can regulate and therefore facilitate or limit these actions. Moreover, it will be taken into account who the stakeholders are who can influence that process. This will be discussed from a multi-level perspective, which focuses on the local situation of the platform economy in Amsterdam.

Teaching Methods

Lectures, seminars. Conditions could be set for the attendance of the seminars.

Method of Assessment

Written exam, assignments.