More people need to care about the sharing economy!

The think tank Digital Utmaning's fifth consultation in the spring of 2017 took on the sharing economy and asked the question what characterizes it and what opportunities and challenges arise from its development. The participants in the consultation have gathered their conclusions in the document "More people need to care about the sharing economy!" and encourage further debate on the impact of digitalization and its relation to the sharing economy.

Progress is fast but knowledge is low

The sharing economy may be a new concept, but is it a new phenomenon? One thing is certain. Sharing is happening today in all sectors and the drivers can be very different. The sharing economy can be so much more than AirBnB and Uber. So much more than business on new platforms.

In Sweden and internationally, a number of initiatives have recently been taken and new studies have been launched and presented. The members of the Council welcome this as we perceive that the knowledge of the sharing economy is very low among many. In order to make informed choices about the direction that should be promoted, a first step is to formulate urgent issues to gather around for further discussion.

A central starting point for the consultation has been that while sharing has always existed and taken different forms, rapid digitalization is now changing the conditions for sharing in society. This is mainly due to the digital, often web- or app-based platforms of the sharing economy
are characterized by their ability to match supply and demand of goods and services more efficiently and on a larger scale than previously possible.

As is the case for many emerging phenomena related to digitalization, there is some confusion about what the sharing economy might mean. The changing context raises a number of questions. What forms do these exchanges take? Is it a good thing? For whom? Which societal values are promoted and which are at stake? From a tax, labor, consumer, democratic and competitive perspective, there are many stones to turn over.

It is true that many of our fundamental institutions - such as consumer and competition law, tax systems, labor market regulation, insurance solutions and privacy systems - are currently not adapted to the emerging digital platforms. There are examples of companies taking advantage of the regulatory gray areas that arise to avoid existing regulations on, for example, employer liability and taxes. There are also many established businesses that are taking advantage of the great attention surrounding the sharing economy, perhaps not always in a way that is perceived as legitimate, to attract interest from the media and investors.

Other controversies involve challenges to established industries. This happens when innovative business models make it more attractive and interesting for people to have exchanges via sharing platforms than to use established solutions. A third type of controversy concerns the increasingly monopolistic position of large platforms.

Overall, the rapid pace of change makes it urgent to examine and discuss in more detail which objectives and interests are being promoted and which are being disadvantaged, for example in the development of new business models and in the adaptation and development of regulations. These issues are important both now and in the long term. That is why we in the Council encourage more people to get involved in the debate on the development of the sharing economy. After all, the fact that much is still unclear means that much is still malleable!

The team has worked under the leadership of Susanna Alexius, researcher and teacher in business administration at Score at the Stockholm School of Economics and Stockholm University.

Other participants have been:
Johanna Gillberg, Business developer at Folksam.
Lotta Björklund Larsen, Associate Professor of Social Anthropology and Assistant Lecturer at Linköping University.
Eva Eiderström, Head of the Eco-Friendly Shopping Department at the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation.
Jens Henriksson, International Secretary at Consumers Sweden.
Max Källman, Master in Sociology from the University of Gothenburg.
Åsa Minoz, runs the company ModigMinoz, which works with innovation for a sustainable society.

Susanna Alexius , advisor to the fifth Digital Challenge Council, and Daniel Mathisen, journalist, comment on the work of the fifth Council and the report 'More people need to care about the sharing economy!

https://video.almega.se/delningsekonomin-vad-ar-det-susanna-alexius

https://video.almega.se/daniel-mathisen-journalist-kommenterar-digital