Sharing economy as an anti-concept (original) (raw)

Sharing what? The ‘sharing economy’ in the sociological debate

The Sociological Review, 2018

This essay introduces the subject and interpretative perspective of the monograph ‘Unboxing the Sharing Economy’, and is divided into three parts. The first part illustrates the evolution of the concept of the ‘sharing economy’ and the main analytical implications. The second part outlines the key findings of a systematic review of the literature, which indicates both that academic research on the sharing economy has expanded considerably since 2013, and that sociology’s contribution to this debate remains underdeveloped and somewhat incoherent. The final part both locates the contributions to the monograph in the context of other studies and summarizes its content.

Sharing Economy: a Step towards the Re-Embeddedness of the Economy?

Stato e mercato, 2015

The expression «sharing economy» has spread exponentially in the past few years, a sign of the growing interest in a phenomenon that continues to maintain boundaries that are somewhat vague. The hypothesis of this paper is that this can be attributed not only to the pervasiveness and enabling power of new technologies but also to the need to fill a social vacuum due to the failures of the market and the state. The sharing economy is introducing collaborative social forms able (at least ideally) to embed economic relations within social ones. To test this hypothesis, the article uses the instrumentation implemented by Karl Polanyi to analyze the forms of integration of economy and society (exchange, reciprocity, redistribution). The political economy of the late twentieth century was especially interested in exchange (market) and redistribution (state), leaving social reciprocity in the background. However, we have to look at this more carefully to grasp any social and institutional innovation that the sharing economy can promote. The first part of this paper is devoted to an analysis of the forms of integration and, in particular, to reciprocity in its different variants. The second part, in light of the taxonomy proposed in the first, analyzes some of the most significant experiences of the sharing economy, seeking to determine the institutional characteristics and social dynamics that this could (at least potentially) engender and support. The conclusions will attempt to answer the questions formulated and indicate avenues for further research.

Pratiche e retoriche della condivisione. Operatori della sharing economy e forme di innovazione economica, sociale e normativa

Studi di Sociologia, 2018

Practices and rhetorics of sharing. Operators of the sharing economic and forms of economic, social and normative innovation The lack of a shared definition of «sharing» is a recurring subject in the academic literature. In this article sharing economy is investigated as an umbrella term that refers to social innovation experiences in the context of the economic crisis that began in 2007-2008. In this framework there was a convergence between several processes: technological (the development of web 2.0 and the availability of apps that disintermediate the relations between producers and consumers), socio-cultural (the emergence of new forms of collaboration based on trust) and economic (in the form of new markets for investors and professional opportunities for individuals and families distressed because of the crisis); this convergence created the premises for the development of the sharing economy as an industry and as a cultural phenomenon. This contribution critically investigates the way industry operators are building, through their so- cial practices, an operational definition of sharing economy. The sample consists of 47 providers of goods/services belonging to 32 cases of sharing economy, interviewed with non-directive techniques in the frame of a national research that this special issue is devoted to. The analysis of empirical material draws on the following research question: through what practices and discursive forms do the sharing economy operators shape the theme of sharing? The results highlight the emphasis of operators on the theme of trust as consumer motivation, while economic reasons are underestimated; their self-presentation as carriers of economic, social and normative in- novation; a fideistic attitude towards sharing as a force of socio-economic change; an ideological view of the sharing economy. Criticism in the sharing economy is raised by small-scale service providers, while large platform operators show an acritic attitude towards the many problematic issues related to the sharing economy (tension between relational and commercial aspects, regulation, injunction to share, quality of the innovation produced by the sharing economy).

An Alternative to State-Market Dualism: The Sharing Economy. Practical and Epistemological Questions

2016

The Sharing Economy is much more than collaborative consumption (Botsman and Rogers, 2011) even if this appears as the most visible achievement of this sector. Production, consumption, finance, exchanges are disrupted by the sharing economy revolution. But what are the common points between Airbnb, Uber, Wikipedia, Ulule, Blablacar, Kickstarter, the FabLabs/hackespaces, the Local exchange trading systems (LETS), Linux, etc.? Most of these achievements rely upon digital platforms (Kenney and Zysman, 2015) enabling peer-to-peer exchanges. These digital platforms act as « weapon of mass collaboration » (Tapscott & Williams - 2007), flattening relationships between Internet users and inside organizations (Castells, 1996 ; 2002). Specifying what the sharing economy is isn’t an easy task. For-profit, non-profit, reciprocity, competition can be observed at a stage or another in the sharing economy galaxy. A bright constellation in this galaxy is the think tank Ouishare created in France in...

Dilemmas of the Sharing Economy in the Age of Access

Organizações & Sociedade, 2021

In the discussions involving the sharing economy, it is possible to see a tendency to highlight its positive aspects. However, the debates seem to neglect problematizations regarding the dilemmas and consequences of what sharing can mean for the social groups interested in embracing the sharing economy concept. In the age of access, the lack of ownership of goods may indicate a transformation concerning life in society. However, the essence of collaboration inherent in the sharing economy might be questioned, as the shared system would be just an attractive instrument with a friendly discourse mostly used to transfer the responsibility of the industry to the citizen, under the banner of mutual aid. Thus, our article seeks to investigate the different perspectives on sharing by analyzing its main dilemmas. Our study presents a critical view of the barriers, vulnerabilities and illusions present in this specific issue, which most studies and approaches on the subject end up reproducin...

The State and Critical Assessment of the Sharing Economy in Europe

The Sharing Economy in Europe

The chapter is the final one in the volume of collected papers aiming to discuss the sharing economy in Europe. The idea of the book emerged within the research network created by the COST Action CA16121 ‘From Sharing to Caring: Examining Socio-Technical Aspects of the Collaborative Economy.’ The authors of the chapter sum up theoretical and empirical materials as well as country-specific cases provided in the book. The article critically assesses the current status of the sharing economy in European countries by highlighting major controversial issues related to deregulation, market disruption, or social inequality. The authors conclude that, considering the comprehensive and up-to-date materials collected and analysed in the book, it may become an outstanding source of knowledge and a practical tool in the process of expansion of the sharing economy in Europe and beyond.

Regulating the sharing economy. Editorial

In this introductory essay, we explore definitions of the ‘sharing economy’, a concept indicating both social (relational, communitarian) and economic (allocative, profit-seeking) aspects which appear to be in tension. We suggest combining the social and economic logics of the sharing economy to focus on the central features of network enabled, aggregated membership in a pool of offers and demands (for goods, services, creative expressions). This definition of the sharing economy distinguishes it from other related peer-to-peer and collaborative forms of production. Understanding the social and economic motivations for and implications of participating in the sharing economy is important to its regulation. Each of the papers in this special issue contributes to knowledge by linking the social and economic aspects of sharing economy practices to regulatory norms and mechanisms. We conclude this essay by suggesting future research to further clarify and render intelligible the sharing economy, not as a contradiction in terms but as an empirically observable realm of socio-economic activity.