مجوز اجتماعی برای اقتصاد اشتراکی
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Conceptualising the sharing economy
3. What is a “social licence to operate”?
4. SLO frameworks
5. Developing a SLO framework for the sharing economy
6. Research agenda for SLO and the sharing economy
7. Conclusion
References
Abstract
The emergence of community concerns around a range of sharing economy platforms have led to calls for more research into the so-called “dark side” of the sharing economy, including the development and application of analytical frameworks. In this article, we present one such framework based around social licence to operate (SLO), a concept that has been applied most extensively in the mining, forestry and energy sectors. We argue that, despite requiring some adaptations and refinements for application to the sharing economy context, social licence is a relevant and suitable concept for analysing community acceptance of sharing economy platforms and provides an opportunity for mutual learning between different sectors. We present a Sharing Economy SLO Framework and outline a research agenda that includes defining communities of interest and place that are affected by sharing economy practices, analysing the complex relationships between social acceptance and regulatory requirements, identifying and measuring key variables that determine SLO, and developing strategies for building and maintaining SLO for sharing economy practices.
Introduction
Technological innovations involving digital online platforms for the exchange of goods and services between peers has enabled the emergence of the so-called “sharing economy” (Belk, 2014), which is experiencing rapid growth as it is heads towards a forecast global economic value of USD335 billion by 2025 (Yaraghi and Ravi, 2017). While definitions vary, at its core the sharing economy involves accessing rather than owning resources, exchange facilitated by digital platforms, and a community-based dimension rooted in the formation of new social connections and shared purpose (Acquier et al., 2017). However, while sharing economy platforms have the potential to create new social connections and build communities, this does not necessarily mean that the exchange practices they facilitate will be accepted by all communities impacted by them. Increasing awareness of this point has led to calls for more academic research into the so-called “dark side” of the sharing economy (Breidbach and Brodie, 2017; Murillo et al., 2017) and the application of analytical frameworks to these emerging issues (Frenken and Schor, 2017). To provide some examples, Airbnb has emerged as a key focal point for the concerns of local residents in Barcelona about overtourism (Gutiérrez et al., 2017), including street protests in August 2017 (Independent, 2017). A month later in the UK, Transport for London declined to renew the regulatory licence of the ride-sharing platform Uber, citing “a lack of corporate responsibility in relation to a number of issues which have potential public safety and security implications” (Transport for London, 2017), including the reporting of serious criminal offences.