A Synthesis of the Sharing Economy in Romania and Russia

Abstract

Ten years ago, renting a flat from a stranger instead of a room in a hotel might have been considered very unusual in some countries and, of course, not an ideal way to spend holidays. However, times have changed all over the world, and now there are a multitude of online services that offer alternatives to traditional hosting. The products and services of the sharing economy have begun to change lifestyles. The sharing economy, often called the collaborative economy or collaborative consumption, is a new form of business that is growing rapidly. This type of economy presents a challenge, mainly for producers, since, instead of producing new products, the system revolves around the exchange of goods and services that already exist. To better understand the sharing economy, it is beneficial to explore examples of how this economy works in different countries. In this paper, we concentrate our research efforts on Romania and Russia-countries that both experienced communism and are now developing their own market systems. The objective of the paper is to investigate the specifics of the sharing economy and single out successful examples in Romania and Russia. The paper begins by explaining the novelty and importance of the subject. It then depicts the sharing economy in Romania and Russia and specifies the research methodology. Finally, it reports results and findings from the presented case studies.