Sharing economy: A systematic thematic analysis of the literature

Abstract

In this paper we present the results of our analyses of the existing literature on the sharing economy. It is important to understand the nature of the sharing economy, because its impacts on the larger economy, society, and governance are extensive and potentially deep and long lasting. Analyses of the 610 articles published between 2006 and 2018 show that there was a rapid increase in publications starting in 2014. Researchers in business, economics, technology, and environmental sciences were interested the most in the topic. There were relatively fewer publications in political science, public administration, and political science. Uber and Airbnb were the most studied platforms. The United States, China, and United Kingdom were the most commonly studied countries. A majority of the literature was a-theoretical. A majority of authors applied some empirical (qualitative and quantitative) research methods.

Smart home technology: Challenges and opportunities for collaborative governance and policy research

“…SHT is no less disruptive, though perhaps less visible, than prominent sharing economy platforms like Uber, Lyft, and Airbnb that are changing the modern economy and challenging governments (Ganapati & Reddick, 2018; Mallinson et al, 2020). Many smart home technologies (e.g., sensors and monitors) are produced to be non‐intrusive and hidden.…”

“…Effective policymaking in the midst of such rapid change is going to require policymakers to constructively engage with diverse stakeholders and with each other in multilateral agreements, institute greater transparency, oversight, and accountability, and develop innovative regulatory schemes (Kavanagh, 2019). While governments are having to play catch up with new technologies like the sharing economy (Ganapati & Reddick, 2018; Mallinson et al, 2020), SHT is still emerging with many unanswered questions about its adoption. This offers an opportunity for policymakers to proactively consider the myriad policy challenges presented by SHT that also overlap with problems in other emergent technologies (e.g., data privacy and security).…”

“…If not, policymakers will inevitably be playing catch up on yet another disruptive technology or forfeit the potential social and economic advantages of smart technology. Policy and administration scholars have not been as attentive to this emergent technology (Shafi & Mallinson, 2021), as they have been to others (Ganapati & Reddick, 2018; Mallinson et al, 2020). Focusing on SHT and its implications for governance has benefits both for researchers and practitioners.…”