Profile of the Sharing Economy in the Developing World: Examples of Companies Trying to Change the World

Abstract

Sharing economy companies are proliferating across the developing world, yet we know very little about their nature, including whether and how they are different from their Western counterparts, and whether they offer new development paths as discussed in the introduction. In theory, the internet can level the playing field to allow the poor in the developing world to share information, access capital, and cooperate in joint ventures in new ways. We examine such premises through presenting the findings of a survey by region of sharing economy companies. While there are a growing number of companies, the amount varies greatly by region, and by types of services offered. Most are for profit companies, competing with traditional suppliers, rather than expanding markets. However, a handful of leading edge companies demonstrate the possibilities for sharing companies to offer a new path to development.