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Sharing Economy Index

SHARING ECONOMY WAITING FOR NORMALCY – PREFERABLY WITHOUT REGULATIONS

Businesses focusing on the rental of cars, apartments and certain services aren’t going through their best moment after being hit by ‘the new normality’, in which social distancing is essential.

Two months ago, sharing economy, or the collaborative economy businesses (where customers rely on each other to meet needs) were seen as the perfect model for a more sustainable future, despite always being wrapped in controversy.

According to the PwC consultancy, it was estimated that companies in the five most important sectors of Europe’s collaborative economy would generate approximately 300 billion euros by 2025. The figure is over ten times higher than the 28 billion euros produced in 2015. But now, the financial model for the sharing economy could be heading to the crisis.

Read more here


The Consumer Choice Center is the consumer advocacy group supporting lifestyle freedom, innovation, privacy, science, and consumer choice. The main policy areas we focus on are digital, mobility, lifestyle & consumer goods, and health & science.

The CCC represents consumers in over 100 countries across the globe. We closely monitor regulatory trends in Ottawa, Washington, Brussels, Geneva and other hotspots of regulation and inform and activate consumers to fight for #ConsumerChoice. Learn more at consumerchoicecenter.org

We Need the Gig Economy Now More Than Ever

Forced to limit our social interactions to get through this pandemic, millions of us are using apps and online services to try to bring some measure of normalcy and convenience to our lives.

Demand for food and alcohol delivery is through the roof and thousands of other platforms are still popular and ripe for a comeback once restrictions and lockdowns are lifted.

But for many users and consumers, the pandemic is revealing the very real regulatory problems limiting the sharing economy.

Especially now, we need functioning and smart laws that empower those who use the gig economy, not penalize them. This is especially true for low-income Americans, who are more than likely to use these services to supplement their incomes or save money.

In California, the sweeping law that went into effect in January classifies practically all workers as employees. This measure has, as predicted, practically wiped out the state’s 5 million freelancers and contractors, removing their ability to gain independent income.

Instead of hiring freelancers full-time, companies have been eliminating positions or leaving the state altogether.

Musicians, freelance journalists and rideshare drivers, who once benefitted from their independent status, have found it more difficult to make a living. It’s no surprise that practically every industry has been jockeying for an exemption and a rewrite of the law is eminent.

For home sharing, local jurisdictions have placed caps on the number of properties available for short-term rentals, curtailing the supply. New York City and Seattle require hosts to obtain both business and rental licenses that can cost thousands of dollars.

In cities such as Des Moines and Las Vegas, rental properties cannot be within 600 feet of each other, and countless others require audits of how many guests can be in each bedroom. That’s put homeowners in a pinch, and revealed the lobbying efforts behind those restrictions.

Too often, regulators and politicians have folded to the demands of the industries that once held monopolies over hospitality services, such as hotels and car rental agencies.

In many states, for instance, rental car companies have banded to severely restrict peer-to-peer car-sharing apps, such as Turo and Getaround, which allow car owners to rent out their vehicles to drivers for reasonable rates.

In states like Florida and Arizona, Enterprise and National Car Rental have succeeded in lobbying to ban these apps from offering vehicles at prime locations such as airports and requiring them to collect rental car fees.

These are the types of restrictions and anti-consumer laws that are not only holding back the gig economy but are threatening its existence altogether.

Of course, the effects of the pandemic on the sharing economy cannot be overstated. The behemoth sharing economy companies such as Airbnb, Uber and Lime are struggling with fewer people traveling and using their services. But that is not how we should measure the success of the gig economy.

The promise of the sharing economy has never been about gains on Wall Street, bold corporate executives or even profits for investors. It is not about a single company’s bottom line or its market share. Rather, it has always been about offering new and innovative options to empower people like you and me to improve our lives.

The sharing economy empowers both consumers and entrepreneurs to creatively and collaboratively use or lend resources they otherwise wouldn’t. That allows people to earn additional income as owners and save money as users.

Whether it is ridesharing, carsharing, home sharing, the sharing of tools, or e-scooter rentals, the regulations on the sharing economy should not make them more difficult to use or from which to profit.

If regulators want to help consumers and owners, they should take legislative steps to legalize or ease restrictions on all sharing economy services. Giving people more access to sharing economy services would provide much-needed income to families in need and would help reduce costs for millions more.

The question is not whether the gig economy should be regulated or not. It is whether it is accessible or not. Reasonable and smart regulation would solve those issues.

Originally published here.


The Consumer Choice Center is the consumer advocacy group supporting lifestyle freedom, innovation, privacy, science, and consumer choice. The main policy areas we focus on are digital, mobility, lifestyle & consumer goods, and health & science.

The CCC represents consumers in over 100 countries across the globe. We closely monitor regulatory trends in Ottawa, Washington, Brussels, Geneva and other hotspots of regulation and inform and activate consumers to fight for #ConsumerChoice. Learn more at consumerchoicecenter.org

თბილისი გაზიარებითი ეკონომიკის მხრივ მსოფლიოს 10 ყველაზე მეგობრულ ქალაქს შორის მოხვდა

თბილისი გაზიარებითი ეკონომიკის მხრივ მსოფლიოს 10 ყველაზე მეგობრულ ქალაქს შორის მოხვდა. საერთაშორისო ორგანიზაცია “Consumer Choice Center”-მა გამოაქვეყნა ინდექსი, რომელშიც შეფასებულია მსოფლიოს 52 დინამიური ქალაქი მათი ღიაობის მიხედვით გაზიარებითი ეკონომიკისადმი.

ინდექსი თავის მხრივ პირველია და გამოყენებულ იქნება მომხმარებელთა ინფორმირებისთვის, თუ რომელი ქალაქი უზრუნველყოფს უკეთ ეკონომიკის ამ მოდელზე აგებული სერვისების მრავალფეროვნებას და მხარს უჭერს მომხმარებელთა მიერ მათ ხელმისაწვდომობას.

ინდექსის მიხედვით პირველ ათეულში შევიდნენ: ტალინი, ვილნიუსი, რიგა, მოსკოვი, სანქტ-პეტერბურგი, ვარშავა, კიევი, სან-პაულუ, თბილისი და ჰელსინკი.

Read more here


The Consumer Choice Center is the consumer advocacy group supporting lifestyle freedom, innovation, privacy, science, and consumer choice. The main policy areas we focus on are digital, mobility, lifestyle & consumer goods, and health & science.

The CCC represents consumers in over 100 countries across the globe. We closely monitor regulatory trends in Ottawa, Washington, Brussels, Geneva and other hotspots of regulation and inform and activate consumers to fight for #ConsumerChoice. Learn more at consumerchoicecenter.org

Revealed World’s Top 10 Sharing Economy Friendly Cities

Today, the Consumer Choice Center launched its Sharing Economy Index highlighting some of the world’s most dynamic cities by their sharing economy friendliness.

The index is the first of its kind and should be used to inform consumers about which city is doing the best job providing the greatest variety of sharing economy services and ensures easy access to them.

The top 10 cities according to the index are Tallinn, Riga, Vilnius, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Warsaw, Kyiv, São Paulo, Tbilisi, and Helsinki. On the other hand, Prague, Dublin, Amsterdam, Bratislava, Ljubljana, Sofia, Tokyo, The Hague, Luxembourg City, and Athens found themselves at the very bottom of the list.


Maria Chaplia, European Affairs Associate at the Consumer Choice Center, said the ranking demonstrates the availability of sharing economy services along with ease of access to users. The cities that score lowest have chosen excessive regulation over the interest of consumers thereby significantly limiting their consumer choice.

“The sharing economy has transformed our lives in a variety of ways. Booking holiday accommodation via flat-sharing platforms and grabbing our phone to order a rideshare when we are late to a meeting is a habit many of us share. But now, those benefits to consumers are often undermined by excessive regulation and taxation. 

“The current COVID-19 pandemic has shown both how much the sharing economy has helped consumers access essential goods and services, while at the same time revealing the very real restrictions and regulations that undermine them,” said Chaplia.

“Spirited protests of taxicab drivers have spread all across the globe, and there is a good reason for that: excessive regulation. In every city analysed (except Kyiv), one must have a taxi driver’s licence to provide taxi services. The fear of competition has taken taxicab drivers to the streets and, in the end, resulted in even tighter regulation of ride-hailing services. Consumers benefit from fair and equitable competition. Less regulation of both traditional taxi services and ride-hailing means more consumer choice,” added Chaplia.

“Overall, three Baltic cities lead the way as the most sharing economy friendly. Estonia is well-known for its booming digital state, and the fact there is even a carpooling app for kids reinforces this fact. All top 10 cities score high when it comes to flat-sharing, meaning that they do not overburden this important part of the sharing economy with city taxes or special permit requirements.”

“The point system we developed for this index provides great insight into what cities you should consider if you would like to enjoy the outstanding variety of sharing economy services,” said Chaplia.

“In order to prevent a negative consumer experience, we examined 52 of the world’s most dynamic cities and ranked them in terms of availability and access to ride-hailing, flat-sharing services, e-scooters, professional car sharing, peer-to-peer car rental, and gym sharing,” added Chaplia.


The Consumer Choice Center is the consumer advocacy group supporting lifestyle freedom, innovation, privacy, science, and consumer choice. The main policy areas we focus on are digital, mobility, lifestyle & consumer goods, and health & science.

The CCC represents consumers in over 100 countries across the globe. We closely monitor regulatory trends in Ottawa, Washington, Brussels, Geneva and other hotspots of regulation and inform and activate consumers to fight for #ConsumerChoice. Learn more at consumerchoicecenter.org

Київ ввійшов в топ-10 найкращих міст за рівнем розвитку економіки спільного користування

Consumer Choice Center опублікував свій Sharing Economy індекс, який підкреслює одні з найбільш динамічних міст де розвивається економіка спільного користування (sharing economy).

Індекс є першим у своєму роді, і його ціллю є інформування споживачів про те які міста найкраще надають найбільшу різноманітність послуг шерингового характеру та гарантують простий доступ до них.

10 кращих міст за індексом:

  1. Таллінн
  2. Вільнюс
  3. Рига
  4. Москва
  5. Санкт-Петербург
  6. Варшава
  7. Київ
  8. Сан-Паулу
  9. Тбілісі
  10. Гельсінкі

Read more here


The Consumer Choice Center is the consumer advocacy group supporting lifestyle freedom, innovation, privacy, science, and consumer choice. The main policy areas we focus on are digital, mobility, lifestyle & consumer goods, and health & science.

The CCC represents consumers in over 100 countries across the globe. We closely monitor regulatory trends in Ottawa, Washington, Brussels, Geneva and other hotspots of regulation and inform and activate consumers to fight for #ConsumerChoice. Learn more at consumerchoicecenter.org

EPIZENTRUM DER SHARING ECONOMY

Weltweit ist Osteuropa das Epizentrum der Sharing Economy, ergab der gestern, Dienstag, veröffentlichte Sharing Economy Index, welcher vom Consumer Choice Center (CCC) regelmäßig erhoben wird. Das CCC mit Sitz in Brüssel Das CCC vertritt Verbraucher in über 100 Ländern. Der Index als nach eigenen Angaben erste seiner Art könne verwendet werden, um Verbraucher darüber zu informieren, wer die größte Vielfalt an Sharing Economy-Diensten erlaubt.

Überraschendes Ergebnis: Der CEE-Raum ist quasi das Epitentrum, was die Sharing Economy betrifft.

Die Top 10 Städte laut Index sind Tallinn, Vilnius, Riga, Moskau, St. Petersburg, Warschau, Kiew, São Paulo, Tiflis und Helsinki. Ganz unten auf der Liste standen Dublin, Amsterdam, Bratislava, Ljubljana, Sofia, Tokio, Den Haag, Luxemburg und Athen.

Read more here


The Consumer Choice Center is the consumer advocacy group supporting lifestyle freedom, innovation, privacy, science, and consumer choice. The main policy areas we focus on are digital, mobility, lifestyle & consumer goods, and health & science.

The CCC represents consumers in over 100 countries across the globe. We closely monitor regulatory trends in Ottawa, Washington, Brussels, Geneva and other hotspots of regulation and inform and activate consumers to fight for #ConsumerChoice. Learn more at consumerchoicecenter.org

Et si on relançait le tourisme grâce à l’économie collaborative?

Les avantages de l’économie collaborative pour les consommateurs sont souvent sapés par une réglementation et une fiscalité excessives.

Alors que le plan tourisme est en passe d’être adopté en France dans le but de relancer l’économie, un questionnement s’impose quant à la fiscalité et aux réglementations imposées au domaine de l’économie collaborative, qui a transformé nos vies de diverses manières.

QU’EST-CE QUE L’ÉCONOMIE COLLABORATIVE ?

L’économie collaborative, ou économie de partage, regroupe les activités humaines qui reposent sur l’usage autant sur que la possession. Comment ? Par le partage ou la mutualisation des biens, savoirs, services, espaces et outils.

Réserver un logement de vacances via les plateformes de colocation et prendre son téléphone pour commander un covoiturage deviennent des habitudes de plus en plus répandues. Il est souvent question, par exemple, d’Uber, d’AirBnB, de Heetch ou encore de Blablacar. La nature innovante de l’économie collaborative a conduit à son indéniable succès.

DE RÉELS AVANTAGES POUR LES CONSOMMATEURS

Malheureusement, et comme c’est souvent le cas aujourd’hui, ces avantages pour les consommateurs sont souvent sapés par une réglementation et une fiscalité excessives. L’actuelle pandémie Covid-19 a montré à la fois combien l’économie collaborative a pu aider les citoyens à accéder à des biens et services essentiels, tout en révélant les restrictions et réglementations très réelles qui les minent, alors qu’ils devraient être approuvés et encouragés.

Le Consumer Choice Center l’a bien compris, et a publié un index de l’économie collaborative. Il fournit un aperçu précieux de nombreux services les plus appréciés des consommateurs, ainsi que de la manière d’y accéder.

LE CLASSEMENT DES 52 VILLES ÉTUDIÉES

économie collective

Tallinn est l’une des villes les plus favorables à l’économie de partage. C’est grâce à son faible niveau de réglementation des services de covoiturage et de partage d’appartements, ainsi que son ouverture aux scooters électroniques et ses innovations remarquables dans le domaine du numérique, qu’elle accède à la première place du classement. L’Estonie est effectivement bien connue pour son essor numérique.

Les dix premières villes sont toutes très bien notées en matière de covoiturage, ce qui signifie qu’elles ne surchargent pas cette partie importante de l’économie avec des taxes municipales ou des exigences de permis spéciaux. Selon le Consumer Choice Center, Tbilissi et Kiev pourraient toutes deux obtenir le meilleur score possible si des applications de partage de salles de sport étaient disponibles. Alors, si vous êtes tenté, voilà une excellente idée pour lancer une start-up !

L’observation la plus surprenante de cette étude est que sur les neuf villes européennes en tête de liste, huit partagent un passé communiste. La détresse du passé dominé par l’État totalitaire aurait donc rendu ces pays plus ouverts à l’économie collaborative.

En revanche, Prague, Dublin, Amsterdam, Bratislava, Ljubljana, Sofia, Tokyo, La Haye, Luxembourg-ville et Athènes se retrouvent tout en bas de la liste. Ces villes ont choisi une réglementation excessive au détriment de l’intérêt des consommateurs, limitant ainsi considérablement leur choix.

La ville de Paris quant à elle, arrive en vingt-deuxième position du classement, derrière les villes voisines telles que Bruxelles, Milan ou encore Berlin, mais devant Lisbonne et Rome.

économie collaborative

Vous pouvez accéder au classement complet des 52 villes étudiées par le Consumer Choice Center ici. Vous y retrouverez également la méthodologie utilisée pour calculer ces scores.

RÉGLEMENTATIONS ET ÉCONOMIE COLLABORATIVE

Au lieu de choisir eux-mêmes des perdants et des gagnants sur le marché, les gouvernements devraient créer et maintenir des règles égales et équitables, dans lesquelles les services traditionnels et les entreprises basées sur le principe d’économie collaborative peuvent se concurrencer.

Finalement, le choix du service à utiliser ne devrait dépendre que du consommateur.

Dans toutes les villes, à l’exception de Kiev (Ukraine), il est nécessaire d’obtenir une licence de chauffeur de taxi pour devenir chauffeur de taxi. Bien que les exigences diffèrent d’une ville à l’autre, il n’est pas beaucoup plus facile de devenir conducteur de covoiturage : sur les 52 villes analysées, seules dix n’ont pas d’exigence similaire en matière de licence de taxi.

En outre, des villes comme Prague, Milan, Dubaï, Tokyo et Shanghai réglementent les prix des taxis. La réglementation excessive des taxis a causé beaucoup de tort, et avec l’arrivée de divers services de covoiturage, le problème est devenu particulièrement clair. La crainte de la concurrence a poussé les chauffeurs de taxi à descendre dans la rue et, en fin de compte, a entraîné une réglementation encore plus stricte des services de covoiturage.

Les taxes et réglementations diverses pèsent beaucoup trop lourd sur les chauffeurs de taxi comme sur le covoiturage.

Mais le covoiturage n’est pas le seul à souffrir de la bureaucratie et de la fiscalité excessive. Tallinn, par exemple, envisage une taxe touristique Airbnb, tandis que Prague est sur le point de limiter le nombre de jours de location d’une propriété Airbnb.

LA RELANCE DU TOURISME ?

Pourquoi les gouvernements semblent-ils lutter indéfiniment contre la mise en  concurrence ? Pourquoi ce besoin de produire des normes, réglementer et taxer chaque activité, chaque bien, chaque service ? Ignorent-ils que pénaliser les entreprises basées sur l’économie de partage pénalise également les consommateurs, et donc les citoyens ? Redoutent-ils l’évolution numérique plus qu’ils ne la soutiennent ?

Cette hostilité à l’innovation, à l’investissement et à l’entrepreneuriat doit cesser, il est temps de prendre en compte les bénéfices non seulement économiques mais également sociaux que ces biens et services peuvent apporter.

Nous le savons, de nombreux secteurs souffrent de la crise actuelle. Celui du tourisme en fait partie. Plutôt que de proposer des primes, des subventions, des plans tourisme, qui seront in fine financés par le contribuable, pourquoi ne pas lâcher du lest sur ces entreprises basées sur l’économie de partage et redonner envie d’y investir, de voyager, de louer, de partager ?


The Consumer Choice Center is the consumer advocacy group supporting lifestyle freedom, innovation, privacy, science, and consumer choice. The main policy areas we focus on are digital, mobility, lifestyle & consumer goods, and health & science.

The CCC represents consumers in over 100 countries across the globe. We closely monitor regulatory trends in Ottawa, Washington, Brussels, Geneva and other hotspots of regulation and inform and activate consumers to fight for #ConsumerChoice. Learn more at consumerchoicecenter.org

Πόσο μοιράζεται η Αθήνα

Δημοσιεύθηκε αυτές τις μέρες από το Consumer Choice Center ένας νέος και εξαιρετικά ενδιαφέρον δείκτης, ο Sharing Economy Index που κατατάσσει 48 μεγάλες πόλεις βάσει του ποιες από αυτές ηγούνται, και ποιες έπονται, στην υιοθέτηση εφαρμογών της λεγόμενης «οικονομίας διαμοιρασμού». Μ’ αυτόν τον μάλλον άχαρο όρο, περιγράφονται οι εφαρμογές εκείνες όπως το Uber και το AirBnB που επιτρέπουν το άμεσο συνταίριασμα ανθρώπων αφενός που είναι πρόθυμοι να διαθέσουν προς χρήση κάποιο περιουσιακό τους στοιχείο, όπως το διαμέρισμά τους, το αυτοκίνητό τους ή και τον χρόνο τους, και αφετέρου ανθρώπων που θέλουν να τα χρησιμοποιήσουν.

Οι εφαρμογές αυτές συνιστούν ένα τεράστιο βήμα προς τα εμπρός τόσο για τις οικονομίες, όσο και για την ανθρώπινη ευημερία συνολικά. Άλλωστε, η οικονομία προχωρά και οι ανάγκες και οι επιθυμίες των ανθρώπων καλύπτονται αποτελεσματικότερα όταν η τεχνολογία κάθε εποχής μας δίνει την ευκαιρία να κάνουμε περισσότερα πράγματα με λιγότερο κόστος, λιγότερο κόπο, χρήμα και ενέργεια. Όπως ακριβώς η εφεύρεση του χρήματος έλυσε τα χέρια στους απώτερους προγόνους μας και επέτρεψε στις πρώιμες εκείνες κοινότητες να επενδύσουν σε μεγαλύτερη εξειδίκευση και παραγωγή κεφαλαιακών αγαθών – δηλαδή καλύτερων εργαλείων – έτσι και οι εφαρμογές της οικονομίας του διαμοιρασμού γλιτώνουν τους καταναλωτές από πολλούς μπελάδες δίνοντάς τους περισσότερες ευκαιρίες, και ταυτόχρονα δίνουν την ευκαιρία σε ανθρώπους που έχουν ένα διαμέρισμα, ένα αυτοκίνητο ή οτιδήποτε άλλο που μπορούν να διαθέσουν, να τα θέσουν σε παραγωγική χρήση ώστε να ενισχύσουν το εισόδημά τους εξυπηρετώντας τους συνανθρώπους τους.

Read more here


The Consumer Choice Center is the consumer advocacy group supporting lifestyle freedom, innovation, privacy, science, and consumer choice. The main policy areas we focus on are digital, mobility, lifestyle & consumer goods, and health & science.

The CCC represents consumers in over 100 countries across the globe. We closely monitor regulatory trends in Ottawa, Washington, Brussels, Geneva and other hotspots of regulation and inform and activate consumers to fight for #ConsumerChoice. Learn more at consumerchoicecenter.org

თბილისი გაზიარებითი ეკონომიკის მხრივ მსოფლიოს 10 ყველაზე მეგობრულ ქალაქს შორის მოხვდა

საერთაშორისო ორგანიზაცია „Consumer Choice Center“-მა გამოაქვეყნა ინდექსი, რომელშიც შეფასებულია მსოფლიოს 52 დინამიური ქალაქი მათი ღიაობის მიხედვით გაზიარებითი ეკონომიკისადმი.

ინდექსი თავის მხრივ პირველია და მას გამოიყენებენ მომხმარებელთა ინფორმირებისთვის, თუ რომელი ქალაქი უზრუნველყოფს უკეთ ეკონომიკის ამ მოდელზე აგებული სერვისების მრავალფეროვნებას და მხარს უჭერს მომხმარებელთა მიერ მათ ხელმისაწვდომობას.

ინდექსის მიხედვით, პირველ ათეულში შევიდნენ: ტალინი, ვილნიუსი, რიგა, მოსკოვი,
სანქტ-პეტერბურგი, ვარშავა, კიევი, სან-პაულუ, თბილისი და ჰელსინკი.

სიის ბოლოში მოექცნენ: პრაღა, დუბლინი, ამსტერდამი, ბრატისლავა, ლუბლიანა, სოფია, ტოკიო, ჰააგა, ლუქსემბურგი და ათენი. აღნიშნული ქალაქებისთვის დამახასიათებელია მთავრობათა მიერ გადაჭარბებული რეგულირება როგორც კომპანიების, ასევე მომხმარებელთა ინტერესების საწინააღმდეგოდ.

Read more here


The Consumer Choice Center is the consumer advocacy group supporting lifestyle freedom, innovation, privacy, science, and consumer choice. The main policy areas we focus on are digital, mobility, lifestyle & consumer goods, and health & science.

The CCC represents consumers in over 100 countries across the globe. We closely monitor regulatory trends in Ottawa, Washington, Brussels, Geneva and other hotspots of regulation and inform and activate consumers to fight for #ConsumerChoice. Learn more at consumerchoicecenter.org

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