The dark side of the sharing economy

Details

Supervisors

Hazée, Simon

Faculty

Louvain School of Management

Degree label

Master [60] en sciences de gestion

Abstract

The paper conducts a systematic literature review on the dark side of the sharing economy through reviewing 64 peer-reviewed sources from EBSCO Business Source Premier. The study categorizes research according to some key themes: regulatory frameworks, ethical perspectives, access-based consumption, technological solutions, and collaborative communities. For instance, important social impacts of community building and social equity issues are revealed, while problems on the platform are being identified to include governance, data privacy, and regulatory hurdles. It also addresses mixed environmental effects in regard to the sharing economy. The review indicates that, over time, the study focus has changed from basic concepts to current technological and regulatory challenges. It pinpoints that future research should build on empirical studies that bring in different geographic and cultural contexts, with objective measures integrated so as to get a comprehensive understanding and addressing of the complex issues associated with the sharing economy.