The Collaborative Economy and new business models

Abstract

The collaborative economy has meant a change in the economic, social, labour and legal paradigm, where for the first time consumers are the protagonists in the exchange of goods and services. Factors such as the Internet, new technologies and the financial crisis have led to the emergence of a global movement based on cooperative and collaborative initiatives. At the same time, the rapid development of this phenomenon has posed a major challenge for both institutions and traditional economic operators and regulators. A new economic and social reality that has called into question the current regulations, forcing these organisations to develop new, specific, fair and efficient regulations, aimed at optimising the numerous advantages for the economy and society. Sectors such as housing, transport and finance are some of the sectors that have most experienced the advance of the collaborative economy, where in just a few years it has driven new forms of production and consumption of goods and services. This study will analyse the different economic, social and legal factors posed by the new business models based on the collaborative economy raise, showing as an illustrative example the case of the transport sector in Spain.