The sharing economy: : A pathway to sustainability or a nightmarish form of neoliberal capitalism?

TLDR: In this paper, the authors present an analysis of the online sharing economy discourse, identifying that the sharing economy is framed as an economic opportunity; a more sustainable form of consumption; a pathway to a decentralised, equitable and sustainable economy; creating unregulated marketplaces; reinforcing the neoliberal paradigm; and, an incoherent field of innovation.

About: This article is published in Ecological Economics.The article was published on 2016-01-01 and is currently open access. It has received 973 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Sharing economy & Digital economy.

Figures

Figure 3: The sharing economy niche and aligned regimes; adapted from Martin et al. (2015). The arrows indicate the alignment between groups of innovations and regimes.

Figure 7: A multi-level perspective on framings empowering the sharing economy niche. Solid arrows indicate where niche actors identify opportunities for the sharing economy to transform regimes and the landscape. Dashed arrows indicate regime actors identifying opportunities to integrate the sharing economy into the regime.

Figure 6: Summary of framings which resist and critique the sharing economy niche.

Table 1: Groups of innovations within the sharing economy niche; adapted from Martin et al. (2015).

Figure 4: Overview of coding structure and examples of emergent themes.

Table 2: Number of online articles sampled from the websites of sharing economy global niche organisations.

Frequently asked questions

Q1. What are the contributions in this paper?

If the sharing economy follows this pathway of corporate co-option it appears unlikely to drive a transition to sustainability. Framing the Sharing Economy, Chris J. Martin – Author ’ s copy of accepted manuscript. 

Q2. What can be viewed as a niche of socio-digital experiments?

the sharing economy can be viewed as a niche of socio-digital experiments, with the paradoxical potential to: promote more sustainable consumption and production practices; and, to reinforce the current unsustainable economic paradigm. 

Q3. What was the prominent example of the sharing economy?

Business to consumer models of Internet mediated interaction also emerged which enabled individuals to access (rather than own) assets, perhaps the most prominent of these being the car rental/sharing service offered by Zipcar. 

Q4. What is the priority of the research?

In particular, the priority should be empirical research which critically analyses the nature and impacts of the sharing and collaborative economies in their many and varied forms. 

Q5. What is the need for research on the sharing economy?

looking beyond the field of sustainability transitions, there is considerable need to develop the nascent sharing economy literature. 

Q6. What are some of the pioneers of what would become known as the sharing economy?

Prominent examples of these pioneers of what would become known as the sharing economy include: Ebay, Craigslist, Freecycle and Couchsurfing. 

Q7. What is the primary element of discourse of interest in transitions research?

Hermwille (2015: 6) identifies narratives as the primary element of discourse of interest in transitions research, as they both articulate sustainability problems and seek to identify and progress solutions. 

Q8. What are the efforts to form stronger, more coherent grassroots framings?

within the online sharing economy discourse there are on-going efforts to formulate stronger, more coherent grassroots framings. 

Q9. What is the motivational rationale for seeking greater coherence?

The motivational rationale for seeking greater coherence is unstated [implicit motivational sub-framing], and hence seems to rest upon the assumption that forging a coherent sharing economy identity will increase the likelihood of growth and/or catalysing transformative change. 

Q10. What is the definition of the frame constructed and communicated through this process?

The frame constructed and communicated through this process can be defined as “an interpretative schemata that signifies and condenses ‘the world out there’ by selectively punctuating and encoding objects, situations, events, experiences, and sequences in one’s present or past environments” (Snow and Benford, 1992: 137). 

Q11. What is the need for research exploring how the sharing economy could be steered towards a?

there is a considerable need for research exploring how the sharing economy niche could be steered towards a pathway aligned with a transition to sustainability. 

Q12. What is the prominent opportunity for research?

perhaps the most prominent opportunity lies in research developing understanding of the role of digital technologies in the dynamics of transitions. 

Q13. What was the period of the sharing economy?

During this period online platforms emerged which enabled individuals to establish peer-to-peer relationships at a previously unprecedented scale. 

Q14. What are the main approaches to engaging with discourse?

within the transitions literature two approaches to engaging with discourse have emerged, focusing on the role of narratives and framing processes respectively.