The Sharing Economy: Issues Facing Platforms, Participants, and Regulators

20 Pages Posted: 27 May 2015 Last revised: 2 Jun 2015

See all articles by Christopher Koopman

Christopher Koopman

Utah State University - Center for Growth and Opportunity

Matthew D. Mitchell

Fraser Institute; Knee Center for the Study of Occupational Regulation; Mercatus Center at George Mason University

Adam D. Thierer

R Street Institute

Date Written: May 26, 2015

Abstract

Filing of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University to the Federal Trade Commission for the FTC's June 9, 2015 workshop on "The “Sharing” Economy: Issues Facing Platforms, Participants, and Regulators."

The Mercatus Center at George Mason University is dedicated to advancing knowledge about the impact of regulation on society. As part of its mission, the Mercatus Center conducts careful and independent analyses employing contemporary economic scholarship to assess rulemaking proposals from the perspective of the public interest. Thus, this comment before the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) does not represent the views of any particular affected party or special interest group. Rather, it is designed to assist the commission as it weighs the costs and benefits of regulation that affects the sharing economy. Our comments to the commission are derived from recent Mercatus Center working papers on these issues.

Keywords: sharing economy, collaborative economy, asymmetric information, lemons problem, Akerlof, online innovation, regulation, inefficiency, reputation feedback, markets, network, public interest, regulatory capture, rent-seeking, e-commerce, ride sharing

JEL Classification: D45, H7, K22, K23, L1, L2, L5, L8, L9, M2, N7, O3, R4

Suggested Citation

Koopman, Christopher and Mitchell, Matthew D. and Thierer, Adam D., The Sharing Economy: Issues Facing Platforms, Participants, and Regulators (May 26, 2015). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2610875 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2610875

Christopher Koopman

Utah State University - Center for Growth and Opportunity ( email )

3525 Old Main Hill
Logan, UT 84322
United States

Matthew D. Mitchell

Fraser Institute ( email )

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4th Floor
Vancouver, British Columbia V6J 3G7
Canada

Knee Center for the Study of Occupational Regulation ( email )

P.O. Box 6025
Morgantown, WV 26506
United States

Mercatus Center at George Mason University ( email )

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Arlington, VA 22201
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HOME PAGE: http://meractus.org

Adam D. Thierer (Contact Author)

R Street Institute ( email )

1050 17th Street Northwest
#1150
Washington, DC 20036
United States

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