An interesting piece from NYU professor Arun Sundararajan
Sundararajan observes:
“But these
platforms [Uber, Airbnb, Etsy and TaskRabbit] are by no means merely the purveyors of Smith’s invisible hand. Rather,
the hand they play in facilitating exchange is decidedly visible. Uber, not individual
drivers, sets prices. Airbnb trains its hosts to be better providers of
hospitality. Etsy facilitates seller community building. All of them provide
user-generated feedback systems, creating a high-quality consumer experience.
Much like an organisation building a brand might.
So it seems like
we’ve invented a new institutional form – the peer-to-peer platform – a
digitally powered hybrid between organising economic activity through the
market and within the organisation. And because these platforms provide layers
of trust, brand and expertise on demand, the need for specialising before
you’re qualified to become a provider is reduced. Almost anyone with talent can
become a part-time hotelier through Airbnb or an artisan retailer on the side
through Etsy. Any reasonably competent driver can morph into a provider of
commercial transportation by plugging into Uber or BlaBlaCar.”
Related:
http://vivekjayakumar.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-sharing-economy.html