Economies of Sharing

The development of information and communication technologies caused evolution of consumption patterns, with an emphasis on strengthening the bargaining power of consumers. The new model of consumption is based on intensive application of the Internet, with the development of social capital that forms the basis for group organizing of consumers. Using the available information, consumers are building special groups on the basis of trust, which carry out valuation of products and services. These models of collaborative consumption are a part of so-called. "sharing economy", which represents a new consumer paradigm. Sharing economy is central research topic of this paper. The goal is to conduct critical analysis of this concept and clarify different interpretations of the same, with the presentation of the basic sharing models. In addition, the paper will present development perspectives of sharing economy, with a focus on benefits offered by this model of consumption. These benefits may relate to reduction of unemployment and the informal economy, better utilization of resources, strengthening social capital and community, and increasing foreign direct investment. The paper also analyzes the key challenges of sharing economy, which are related to flexibility of the legal and economic environment. At the end, there will be given an appropriate conclusion, with recommendations for improving the development of sharing economy.

The present study discusses the evolution of cultural tourism in Greece with a focus on the latest developments on a local and global level and their impact on the heritage and tourism sections. In an attempt to understand the relationship between the Greek state and private stakeholders in these sectors, the study provides a brief background of cultural tourism in Greece vis-a-vis cultural tourism today, touching upon market trends and market segmentation. A number of questions are posed regarding the role of the state: is it keeping up with the times, does it effectively capitalize on its assets and, predominantly, is it a friend or foe to private initiative? A series of challenges are also highlighted that arise, since the state shapes policies, enacts legislation, and in many cases, exercises direct management in areas pertaining to the tourism and heritage sectors: who "owns" heritage?; who "consumes" heritage?; and who manages heritage?
The study largely draws upon the authors' field experience in the cultural tourism and heritage sectors, and further develops their conclusions of their prior research on associated topics.
The ultimate is to suggest a flexible model based on synergy between the private sector and the state that would effectively meet the requirements of the times.

This chapter considers the relationship between the U.S. federal income tax system and innovation, using the sharing economy as a focal point for analysis. It makes two main points. First, the tax system is currently a questionable tool for encouraging innovation. Regulators are understandably concerned that taxpayers will use tax incentive provisions in unanticipated ways, and thus are inclined to tightly limit such provisions’ scope. This reduces incentive provisions’ net benefit to taxpayers, and can even cause such provisions to miss their marks entirely. Moreover, small and new companies are key drivers of innovation, and evidence suggests that they are relatively unresponsive to tax incentives.

Second, innovation can help improve the tax system. To fix a problem, one must first identify it; innovation provides opportunities to see where tax law is achieving its goals and where it is falling short. The sharing economy experience suggests some strengths, such as the tax system’s definition of income, as well as weaknesses, such as the dividing line between independent contractors and employees.

What are the similarities and differences between crowdsourcing and sharing economy? What factors influence their use in developing countries? In light of recent developments in the use of IT-mediated technologies, such as crowdsourcing and the sharing economy, this manuscript examines their similarities and differences, and the challenges regarding their effective use in developing countries. We first examine each individually and highlight different forms of each IT-mediated technology. Given that crowdsourcing and sharing economy share aspects such as the use of IT, a reliance on crowds, monetary exchange, and the use of reputation systems, we systematically compare the similarities and differences of different types of crowdsourcing with the sharing economy, thus addressing a gap in the current literature. Using this knowledge, we examine the different challenges faced by developing countries when using crowdsourcing and the sharing economy, and highlight the differences in the applicability of these IT-mediated technologies when faced with specific development issues.