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Gains from Sharing: Sticky Norms, Endogenous Preferences, and the Economics of Shareable Goods

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  • Anders Fremstad

    (University of Massachusetts-Amherst)

Abstract

There are often "gains from sharing" underutilized goods with others. People routinely share tools, media, gear, electronics, toys, space, and vehicles with relatives, friends, and neighbors, and the internet is opening up new opportunities to share them with strangers. Drawing on the work of James Buchanan, Elinor Ostrom, and Yochai Benkler, I develop an economic framework of decentralized sharing. My analysis challenges the implications of simple economic models, which ignore the role of sticky norms and endogenous preferences and, therefore, suggest that people are always sharing at efficient levels. I argue that the online platforms may gradually transform norms and preferences to substantially increase peer-to-peer borrowing and lending. Using data from General Social Survey, the Consumer Expenditure Survey, the online platform NeighborGoods, and my own survey, I estimate the current and potential value of decentralized sharing. I find that today peer-to-peer borrowing is worth at least $179 a year for 30 percent of Americans and at least $774 for 8 percent of Americans. If the online platforms are able to facilitate high levels of sharing among loosely-tied individuals, the annual benefit to the average household would be modest but significant, perhaps one thousand dollars a year. My analysis suggests that that there are significant gains from sharing tools, media, gear, electronics, toys, pets, vacation homes, and lodging, but the largest gains will likely come from sharing privately-owned vehicles.

Suggested Citation

  • Anders Fremstad, 2014. "Gains from Sharing: Sticky Norms, Endogenous Preferences, and the Economics of Shareable Goods," UMASS Amherst Economics Working Papers 2014-02, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Department of Economics.
  • Handle: RePEc:ums:papers:2014-02
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Alejandrina Salcedo & Todd Schoellman & Michèle Tertilt, 2012. "Families as roommates: Changes in U.S. household size from 1850 to 2000," Quantitative Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 3(1), pages 133-175, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Barnes, Stuart J. & Mattsson, Jan, 2017. "Understanding collaborative consumption: Test of a theoretical model," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 281-292.
    2. Dickinson, Janet E. & Cherrett, Tom & Hibbert, Julia F. & Winstanley, Chris & Shingleton, Duncan & Davies, Nigel & Norgate, Sarah & Speed, Chris, 2015. "Fundamental challenges in designing a collaborative travel app," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 28-36.
    3. Barnes, Stuart J. & Mattsson, Jan, 2016. "Understanding current and future issues in collaborative consumption: A four-stage Delphi study," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 200-211.
    4. Stuart J. Barnes & Jan Mattsson, 2016. "Building tribal communities in the collaborative economy: an innovation framework," Prometheus, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(2), pages 95-113, April.
    5. Dickinson, Janet E. & Hibbert, Julia F. & Filimonau, Viachaslau & Cherrett, Tom & Davies, Nigel & Norgate, Sarah & Speed, Chris & Winstanley, Chris, 2017. "Implementing smartphone enabled collaborative travel: Routes to success in the tourism domain," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 100-110.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    theory of clubs; theory of households; excludable non-rival goods; decentralized cooperation; reciprocity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D10 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - General
    • D70 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - General
    • Q01 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - General - - - Sustainable Development

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