IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i4p1594-d323174.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Emergence of Carsharing Business Models and Sustainability Impacts in Swedish Cities

Author

Listed:
  • Nancy Bocken

    (The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE), Lund University, P O Box 196, SE-22100 Lund, Sweden)

  • Alexandra Jonca

    (The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE), Lund University, P O Box 196, SE-22100 Lund, Sweden)

  • Karolina Södergren

    (The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE), Lund University, P O Box 196, SE-22100 Lund, Sweden)

  • Jenny Palm

    (The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE), Lund University, P O Box 196, SE-22100 Lund, Sweden)

Abstract

The sharing economy has become prominent in the policy, business and academic discourse as a way to achieve greater levels of resource efficiency in sustainability transitions. An example is carsharing, which is regarded as a potential lever for change in sustainable mobility transitions. In this article we, apply the “ecologies of business models” perspective to investigate how carsharing initiatives have coevolved in Sweden. We focus on the city context as a useful unit of analysis to investigate carsharing in four Swedish cities: Gothenburg, Malmö, Stockholm and Umeå. Through qualitative case research, we investigate the following: How did carsharing business models coevolve in the studied cities? It was found that early notions of carsharing date back to the 1970s, but the concept has changed significantly over time, particularly with the emergence of (Internet) technology-based platforms. The findings suggest that carsharing is complementary to existing private car usage in cities, rather than a replacement. Based on this, we suggest pathways for local policymakers to consider when implementing sustainable carsharing solutions. The contributions are threefold: providing an empirical study on the theoretical ecologies of business models concept; understanding how carsharing coevolved in Swedish cities and in relation to wider sustainability and mobility trends; and giving novel insight into the role of local governments.

Suggested Citation

  • Nancy Bocken & Alexandra Jonca & Karolina Södergren & Jenny Palm, 2020. "Emergence of Carsharing Business Models and Sustainability Impacts in Swedish Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-23, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:4:p:1594-:d:323174
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/4/1594/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/4/1594/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mair, Johanna & Reischauer, Georg, 2017. "Capturing the dynamics of the sharing economy: Institutional research on the plural forms and practices of sharing economy organizations," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 11-20.
    2. Shaheen, Susan A & Cohen, Adam P, 2007. "Growth in Worldwide Carsharing: An International Comparison," Institute of Transportation Studies, Research Reports, Working Papers, Proceedings qt2zv240pp, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Berkeley.
    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. Kent, Jennifer L. & Dowling, Robyn, 2013. "Puncturing automobility? Carsharing practices," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 86-92.
    5. Karla Münzel & Wouter Boon & Koen Frenken & Taneli Vaskelainen, 2018. "Carsharing business models in Germany: characteristics, success and future prospects," Information Systems and e-Business Management, Springer, vol. 16(2), pages 271-291, May.
    6. Jenny Palm & Karolina Södergren & Nancy Bocken, 2019. "The Role of Cities in the Sharing Economy: Exploring Modes of Governance in Urban Sharing Practices," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-12, December.
    7. Kathan, Wolfgang & Matzler, Kurt & Veider, Viktoria, 2016. "The sharing economy: Your business model's friend or foe?," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 59(6), pages 663-672.
    8. Steven Kane Curtis & Matthias Lehner, 2019. "Defining the Sharing Economy for Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-25, January.
    9. João Valsecchi Ribeiro de Souza & Adriana Marotti de Mello & Roberto Marx, 2019. "When Is an Innovative Urban Mobility Business Model Sustainable? A Literature Review and Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-18, March.
    10. Martin, Chris J., 2016. "The sharing economy: A pathway to sustainability or a nightmarish form of neoliberal capitalism?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 149-159.
    11. Docherty, Iain & Marsden, Greg & Anable, Jillian, 2018. "The governance of smart mobility," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 114-125.
    12. Aurélien Acquier & Valentina Carbone & David Massé, 2019. "How to Create Value(s) in the Sharing Economy: Business Models, Scalability, and Sustainability," Post-Print hal-02104568, HAL.
    13. Peraphan Jittrapirom & Valeria Caiati & Anna-Maria Feneri & Shima Ebrahimigharehbaghi & María J. Alonso González & Jishnu Narayan, 2017. "Mobility as a Service: A Critical Review of Definitions, Assessments of Schemes, and Key Challenges," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 2(2), pages 13-25.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Rotaris, Lucia, 2022. "Peer-to-peer carsharing in less-densely populated areas: An empirical analysis in Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Italy)," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    2. Valve, Helena & Lazarevic, David & Humalisto, Niko, 2021. "When the circular economy diverges: The co-evolution of biogas business models and material circuits in Finland," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    3. Mundaca, Luis & Román-Collado, Rocío & Cansino, José M., 2022. "Assessing the impacts of social norms on low-carbon mobility options," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    4. Agnieszka Skala, 2022. "Sustainable Transport and Mobility—Oriented Innovative Startups and Business Models," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-20, May.
    5. Lorena Cadavid & Kathleen Salazar-Serna, 2021. "Mapping the Research Landscape for the Motorcycle Market Policies: Sustainability as a Trend—A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-22, September.
    6. Wei Luo & Yi Wang & Pengpeng Jiao & Zehao Wang & Pengfei Zhao, 2022. "What Kind of Travellers Are Using Carsharing in Beijing? A Study Based on Selective Ensemble Learning," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-24, January.
    7. Érika Martins Silva Ramos & Cecilia Jakobsson Bergstad, 2021. "The Psychology of Sharing: Multigroup Analysis among Users and Non-Users of Carsharing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-17, June.
    8. Andrei Boar & Ramon Bastida & Frederic Marimon, 2020. "A Systematic Literature Review. Relationships between the Sharing Economy, Sustainability and Sustainable Development Goals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-14, August.
    9. Arash Najmaei & Zahra Sadeghinejad, 2023. "Green and sustainable business models: historical roots, growth trajectory, conceptual architecture and an agenda for future research—A bibliometric review of green and sustainable business models," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 128(2), pages 957-999, February.
    10. Tamao Miura & Shoji Yamamoto, 2022. "Analysis of Factors Influencing the Choice between Ownership and Sharing: Qualitative and Quantitative Survey Results on Car Sharing Service Users Conducted in Japan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-17, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Akbari, Morteza & Foroudi, Pantea & Khodayari, Maryam & Zaman Fashami, Rahime & Shahabaldini parizi, Zahra & Shahriari, Elmira, 2022. "Sharing Your Assets: A Holistic Review of Sharing Economy," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 604-625.
    2. Meisam Ranjbari & Gustavo Morales-Alonso & Ruth Carrasco-Gallego, 2018. "Conceptualizing the Sharing Economy through Presenting a Comprehensive Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-24, July.
    3. Michaël Distelmans & Ilse Scheerlinck, 2021. "Institutional Strategies in the Ridesharing Economy: A Content Analysis Based on Uber’s Example," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-25, July.
    4. Maria J. Pouri & Lorenz M. Hilty, 2018. "Conceptualizing the Digital Sharing Economy in the Context of Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-19, November.
    5. Lim, Weng Marc, 2020. "The sharing economy: A marketing perspective," Australasian marketing journal, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 4-13.
    6. Chan Liu & Raymond K. H. Chan & Maofu Wang & Zhe Yang, 2020. "Mapping the Sharing Economy in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-19, August.
    7. Pies, Ingo & Hielscher, Stefan & Everding, Sebastian, 2020. "Do hybrids impede sustainability? How semantic reorientations and governance reforms can produce and preserve sustainability in sharing business models," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 174-185.
    8. Manuel Sánchez-Pérez & Nuria Rueda-López & María Belén Marín-Carrillo & Eduardo Terán-Yépez, 2021. "Theoretical dilemmas, conceptual review and perspectives disclosure of the sharing economy: a qualitative analysis," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 15(7), pages 1849-1883, October.
    9. Schreyer, Jasmin, 2020. "Sharing ≠ Sharing Economy: Ausprägungen der digitalen Sharing Economy im Lebensmittelsektor," Research Contributions to Organizational Sociology and Innovation Studies, SOI Discussion Papers 2020-03, University of Stuttgart, Institute for Social Sciences, Department of Organizational Sociology and Innovation Studies.
    10. Igor M. Stepnov & Yulia A. Kovalchuk, 2020. "Measuring value created by business models in the sharing economy," Upravlenets, Ural State University of Economics, vol. 11(5), pages 58-69, November.
    11. Ilse Hellemans & Amanda J. Porter & Damla Diriker, 2022. "Harnessing digitalization for sustainable development: Understanding how interactions on sustainability‐oriented digital platforms manage tensions and paradoxes," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(2), pages 668-683, February.
    12. Chiappetta Jabbour, Charbel Jose & De Camargo Fiorini, Paula & Wong, Christina W.Y. & Jugend, Daniel & Lopes De Sousa Jabbour, Ana Beatriz & Roman Pais Seles, Bruno Michel & Paula Pinheiro, Marco Anto, 2020. "First-mover firms in the transition towards the sharing economy in metallic natural resource-intensive industries: Implications for the circular economy and emerging industry 4.0 technologies," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    13. Mazzucchelli, Alice & Gurioli, Martina & Graziano, Domenico & Quacquarelli, Barbara & Aouina-Mejri, Chiraz, 2021. "How to fight against food waste in the digital era: Key factors for a successful food sharing platform," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 47-58.
    14. Murillo, David & Buckland, Heloise & Val, Esther, 2017. "When the sharing economy becomes neoliberalism on steroids: Unravelling the controversies," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 66-76.
    15. Olga Lingaitienė & Virginija Grybaitė & Aurelija Burinskienė, 2022. "Core Elements Affecting Sharing Evidence from the European Union," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-21, March.
    16. João Miguel Cotrim & Francisco Nunes & Rafael Laurenti, 2020. "Making Sense of the Sharing Economy: A Category Formation Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-23, December.
    17. Steven Kane Curtis & Matthias Lehner, 2019. "Defining the Sharing Economy for Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-25, January.
    18. Daria Elżbieta Jaremen & Elżbieta Nawrocka & Michał Żemła, 2019. "Sharing the Economy in Tourism and Sustainable City Development in the Light of Agenda 2030," Economies, MDPI, vol. 7(4), pages 1-15, November.
    19. Cabral, Natália Gomes Cavalcante & Gohr, Cláudia Fabiana, 2023. "Sustainable value creation in sharing economy: Conceptual framework proposition and application in Brazilian offline communities," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 186(PA).
    20. Jorge Tello‐Gamarra & Carlai Netto, 2022. "The sharing economy in social media: An institutional analysis in an emerging country," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(4), pages 988-999, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:4:p:1594-:d:323174. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.