ABSTRACT
The sharing economy promotes access to underused assets, which is a way of prolonging the life cycle of products and materials while also undermining the need for private ownership. It eludes easy definition. Sharing was a way of life well before Silicon Valley, but sharing on this scale has reached new heights through the proliferation of smartphones, apps for all needs, and increasingly sophisticated algorithms for matching supply and demand. While most start-ups may dream of one day making it big, the incentives are greater for sharing platforms. The chapter interrogates the value created through use of sharing platforms. This is done through highlighting trade-offs in value for consumers, workers at large, online and offline communities, and the state. Considering these trade-offs from each of these perspectives is an important starting point for anyone hoping to design for sustainable system change in the sharing economy.
