Mercy Consent and Contained Resistance: Grievance Systems in Chinese Food‐Delivery Platforms
基于多方法质性研究，本文考察中国外卖平台内申诉系统如何运作，揭示其通过制造代理幻觉、程序公平假象等塑造工人同意，同时将骑手的抵抗转化为可控的非政治化形式。
ABSTRACT Based on a multi‐methods qualitative study, this article investigates how in‐platform grievance systems operate in the Chinese food‐delivery platform work. Drawing on labour process theory, we examine the role of in‐platform grievance systems in shaping the dynamic interplay between control, consent, and resistance. Our findings reveal that in‐platform grievance systems create a distinct form of consent—termed ‘mercy consent’—through creating an illusion of agency, constructing a façade of procedural fairness, individualising grievances, and facilitating intergroup antagonism between riders and customer service agents. Meanwhile, riders’ resistance within the grievance system is captured, channelled, and contained by platforms. We argue that the in‐platform grievance systems function not merely as dispute resolution channels, but as mechanisms for shaping worker subjectivity, converting dissent into a manageable and depoliticised form of consent.