Baring the Sharing Economy: Concepts, Classification, Findings, and Future Directions

48 Pages Posted: 7 Dec 2017 Last revised: 17 Jan 2018

See all articles by Davide Proserpio

Davide Proserpio

Marshall School of Business - University of Southern California

Gerard J. Tellis

University of Southern California - Marshall School of Business, Department of Marketing

Date Written: December 28, 2017

Abstract

This paper reviews the rapidly growing research in the area of the sharing economy. Considerable confusion exists about what constitutes the sharing economy, what has caused its growth, and which terms best describe the phenomenon, while the appearance of papers in different disciplines has hindered a summary of what is known and unknown so far. This paper explains the drivers of the rise of the sharing economy, defines what constitutes the sharing economy, and develops a framework to classify such platforms, research areas, and papers. It identifies 28 theoretical propositions and 58 empirical findings, which it classifies under six broad categories. The empirical papers use seven methods that differ substantially in rigor and popularity across sub-areas. Only a modest match exists between theoretical propositions and empirical findings. However, a common theme emerging from this review is that the sharing economy is transforming our society. The authors argue that the rich set of propositions and findings discussed in this paper can inform managers about strategies, lawmakers, regulators, and municipalities about policy, and researchers about future directions. For this purpose, the paper discusses the strengths and limitations of the papers reviewed and suggests an agenda for future research.

Keywords: sharing economy, gig economy, peer-to-peer markets, collaborative consumption

Suggested Citation

Proserpio, Davide and Tellis, Gerard J., Baring the Sharing Economy: Concepts, Classification, Findings, and Future Directions (December 28, 2017). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3084329 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3084329

Davide Proserpio (Contact Author)

Marshall School of Business - University of Southern California ( email )

701 Exposition Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90089
United States

HOME PAGE: http://dadepro.github.io/

Gerard J. Tellis

University of Southern California - Marshall School of Business, Department of Marketing ( email )

Hoffman Hall 701
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0443
United States
213-740-5031 (Phone)
213-740-7828 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://gtellis.net

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