Call for contributions for the

Organized by:

University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna,
Vienna University of Economics and Business & Lund University

 

With the advent of the sharing economy came the hope that new forms of organization would emerge that offer a more sustainable alternative to the current modes of production and consumption. The peer-to-peer sharing of underutilized assets such as apartments, cars, clothes, tools or food are expected to prevent the overconsumption of limited resources, enable entrepreneurship among individuals and strengthen social ties. Indeed, in many sectors, sharing economy platforms have grown impressively. But have the expectations of the advocates of the sharing economy been fulfilled?

The 8th International Workshop on the Sharing Economy (IWSE) in Vienna, Austria, provides a forum for critical reflections on the developments in the past and an outlook on the future of the sharing economy. The 8th IWSE follows earlier workshops in Utrecht (2015), Paris (2016), Winchester (2016), Lund (2017), Mannheim (2018), Utrecht (2019) and Barcelona (2021).

We invite scholars of diverse disciplines to join us in re-examining and re-considering whether the principles and practices of the sharing economy present a viable path forward considering the grand challenges humanity is facing (e.g., the climate crises, the current and future pandemics, armed conflicts). The current challenges show us—in some cases quite drastically—the problems of the prevailing behaviors on an individual, organizational, institutional, and societal level in our industrialized world, which urgently need to be solved.

Contributions are welcomed addressing questions related to the sharing economy including, but not limited to:

  • Do sharing economy examples meet the original hopes about sharing (i.e., social cohesion, cooperation, a more ethical alternative to the prevailing forms of organizing, sustainability etc.)?
  • Which hopes about the sharing economy still prevail and what are the new expectations about the outlook of the sharing economy?
  • What makes sharing economy organizations fail or hinders them from growing?
  • How has the sharing economy contributed to resilience and societal good in crises (e.g., in response to the pandemic, helping victims of armed conflicts)?

Will the new forms of organizing in the sharing economy complement or even substitute the prevailing models?We welcome contributions from a number of perspectives including, but not limited to:

  • sustainability and ecological economics
  • organization, strategy, entrepreneurship, and innovation
  • regulatory, policy and governance
  • sociological and critical management
  • psychology, marketing, and consumer behavior

Various perspectives can be linked to these general questions and we would like to give some examples of possible research questions and directions that we consider to be central.

Perspectives and Research Questions

We seek to enable/mobilize/ initiate/ … discussion questions (but are not limited to) from

sustainability and ecological economics perspectives:

  • Does up-scaling of sharing economy solutions necessarily lead to collateral damage from an environmental or public welfare perspective?
  • How sustainable are various forms of shared mobility, i.e., car, bike, moped, or scooter-sharing or other sharing economy segments such as space (accommodation, working space, parking space), consumer goods sharing (tools, clothes and accessories, toys, sports gears, etc.) or food? In what sense are they relevant to climate change?
  • Does the Sharing Economy help dematerialize unsustainable consumption patterns, and in what way?
  • It is often suggested that the ecological impact of the sharing economy is limited because the services that have had a broad impact are precisely the ones with low ecological potential (e.g. commercial free-floating car-sharing). More sustainable services (e.g. peer-to-peer cargo bike sharing), have difficulties becoming more than a niche. Is there a way out of this dilemma?

organization, strategy, entrepreneurship, and innovation theory and strategy perspectives:

  • What are the key organizing principles of the different formats of the sharing economy? To what extent are intermediaries needed in the exchange and what kind of requirements should these meet (e.g., regarding action, risk, and power distribution)?
  • What comparative efficiency advantages do sharing economy firms have at inducing and orchestrating inter-firm cooperation?
  • How can sharing economy firms purposefully and strategically shape their institutional environment to improve their competitive advantage?
  • How can entrepreneurs and managers leverage sharing business model opportunities, whose value is currently uncaptured (e.g., dematerialization, reuse of materials)?
  • How does the sharing economy become institutionalized in diverse contexts, e.g., segments, geographical areas? What is the role of different actors in these processes?
  • What role does media play in the institutionalisation of the sharing economy?

regulatory, policy and governance perspective:

  • How much and what kind of regulation is necessary for the sharing economy to be/become conducive to the common good?
  • What governance processes (beyond regulation) can be employed by various actors, e.g., national and regional governments, municipalities, to ensure that the sharing economy is conducive to the common good?
  • Sharing services are operated by both commercial and civil society, public or private actors. What are the respective advantages and disadvantages of these different forms of organization from a general interest perspective?
  • What does the sharing economy mean for contract designs? How are copyright issues dealt with? Which protective mechanisms for fundamental rights (privacy, security, democracy...) are there / are they needed?

sociological and critical management perspectives:

  • What constitutes the social practice of sharing and/or exchange?
  • How do (new) forms of organizing work influence social relationships, experienced recognition and appreciation?
  • To what extent is sharing and the associated forms of organization conducive to inclusion? To what extent are different forms of exclusion practiced? Exclusion of whom or what?

psychology, marketing, and consumer behavior perspectives:

  • What differences exist between “me”/“you”/“we” in the sharing economy? What are the characteristics of psychological/collective ownership?
  • How do consumers in the sharing economy differ in their personality compared to conventional consumers?
  • What role does a sense of community play in the sharing economy?
  • Which risks for consumers exist within the sharing economy?
  • Which factors motivate consumers to engage with the sharing economy? How do consumer motivations vary across socio-political contexts?
  • What are the drivers and barriers of consumer misbehavior in the sharing economy? How can undesirable consumer behavior be prevented?

By embracing different perspectives when discussing the sharing economy and sharing society, we want to enable a broad discussion that reflects the diversity of perspectives in studying the sharing economy.

We invite a wide range of participants including experienced academics as well as Ph.D. students, early career scholars, to think about nuances, alternatives, and approaches to unveil the sharing economy and submit their ideas. 

Format of the workshop / Application / Deadlines

The workshop will take place on May 22nd & 23rd, 2023 in Vienna. It will comprise of various formats of sessions: keynote speeches, panels, debates, traditional paper presentations as well as symposia and possibly workshops.

  1. Two types of contributions are invited:

    1. traditional paper presentations on scholarly topics. Most submissions will be of this kind. To be considered for the workshop, please submit your abstract on https://iwse.boku.ac.at. The abstract (max. 800 words) should include the topic, theoretical background, theoretical contribution, research methods, and (expected) results.
    2. In addition to paper presentation organized under main topics for sessions, we invite proposals for themed sessions. Themed sessions may be symposia, workshops, interest group discussions, or any other collaborative formats that will fill an entire slot of 90 minutes (e.g., three paper presentations on a common theme). Expressions of interest for such group sessions are invited. Please send them via email to the organizing team: iwse@boku.ac.at.

  2. We are open for submissions based on a range of different methods including qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, visionary and simulation approaches as well as conceptual and theoretical works.
  3. The participants will receive feedback on the admission of their contributions. Depending on how progressed the contribution is, you will be informed whether your work is considered for the program.
  4. After the acceptance decision, please register via the website: iwse.boku.ac.at (If you are unable to submit an abstract, you have the option to participate as a guest.)

 

Exploration tour

We offer the participants an opportunity to join an exploration tour before the workshop on Sunday May 21st, 2023. Rather than offering a tour visiting the typical Viennese sights, the tour present conference participants a trip to one of the most happening areas in Vienna and offers opportunities for exchange with locals.

 

Deadlines for

  • submission of applications (abstracts): February 20th, 2023
  • confirmation of presentations/group sessions: Mid-March, 2023

 

Special Issue of Workshop Papers

We are planning to publish “Best Workshop Paper Proceedings” in a special issue and/or an edited volume. More information will be featured on the website soon.

 

Workshop fees

Workshop fees include lunch, snacks, and beverages during the workshop. We distinguish between the following groups of participants:

  • Researchers and practitioners (regular fee: EUR 160)
  • Ph.D. and Master's students (reduced fee: EUR 80)

Further information on the conference website: iwse.boku.ac.at

 

We intend to reduce the environmental impact of our conference by offering local vegetarian food and unbottled drinking water. We encourage participants to consider their emissions by making their travel and housing choices. We will offer practical tips (e.g., night trains, eco-friendly hotels) on the conference website.