The CASI project has published 9th EU-level policy brief. This time the brief looks into the topic of sharing economy and whether it is a new disruptive service model provider and a challenge for which Europe is unready for.
The sharing economy concept has been existent for more than two decades with the launch of eBay and Craigslist in the United States. The user friendly online platforms which enabled access with just one click of a mouse to a wide range of new second hand items affordably priced, quickly found their way to the heart of the masses and turned into a global phenomenon. This novel trend made an earmark on the consumer experience, which through the recirculation of goods became mainstream. The state of the art of sharing economy shall be assessed in order to better understand enablers as well as disablers for its deployment. With the proper monitoring indicators it would be possible to evaluate the actual impact and understand the outreach this model is having at today’s economies and if it is able to significantly contribute to further creation of green jobs and to the ecological savings in general. The consumer collaboration is the foundation of the sharing economy model but then again it is essential to understand the impact and the extent of this peer to peer exchange. Only with continuous dialogue of the various participators, the common understanding can be reached. Moreover, clear key messages shall be communicated to the public along the process to avoid further antagonism and to enable transparency.
The full text of the brief can be downloaded here.
