The Passions and the Interests: Unpacking the ‘Sharing Economy’

The phenomenal growth of "sharing economy" platforms, the increasing number of economic sectors affected and the conflicting interests among involved stakeholders explain the huge controversies around the "Sharing economy". This report aims to provide a better understanding of this phenomenon and the issues at stake. The platforms reviewed cover both factor (capital, labour) and product markets (goods and services), i.e. the entire economy (and potentially society at large), taking account of both empirical evidence and rhetorical discourses in order to remove confusion and identify both available and lacking empirical evidence. There is controversy on what the "sharing economy" is or is not. Because of its positive connotation, more companies started to claim belonging to the "sharing economy" although they actually pursue economic self-interest. The conditions of "on-demand workers" raise conflicting views, as earnings for providers are not as high as claimed and practices add to the erosion of the labour contract and to the increase of "contingent" labour. Another controversial issue is whether or not the "sharing economy’ has positive redistributive effects, for which evidence is lacking or not conclusive. Last but not least conflicts, legal disputes, and consumer protection concerns are on the rise. In this respect, the size and scope of a platform may pose very different regulatory and policy challenges which is why a conceptual clarification is needed.