29th July 2016

Radio Praha: Swopping views on how to deal with sharing economy | Kryštof Kruliš of AMO on sharing economy (updated)

The sharing economy is one of those vogue terms that can perhaps best be explained by some of the concepts which have been made possible by the Internet, digital applications, and credit cards. Crowd funding is one. Others are flat and house renting applications such as Airbnb or Booking, or perhaps one of the most famous of all, the car renting and delivery service, Uber. But they have often clashed with tradition sectors of the economy, like hotels and taxi firms, and authorities are looking on and wondering whether to regulate. the article by Radio Praha summarizes a roundtable discussion organized by the Czech Chamber of Commerce.

Read details here (in English).

Kryštof Kruliš, analyst of the Association for Interational Affairs (AMO) talks on Radiožurnál of Czech Radioabout shared or collaborative economy, its rules and practical real life examples, including risks. Platforms of sharing economy enable sharing of work, movable items (car, furniture, tool), real estate, capital (crowdfunding), etc. Use of internet is often crucial, cashless payments often the only way of payment. He gives examples of global, regional, local services based on the idea of shared economy. The lifestyle has changed and the current system does not create enough part-time work opportunities. These sharing economy platforms offer additional source of income or an alternative for those who whish to work part time," he says. Links to some of these platforms are available in a research paper by AMO (in Czech).

Members of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic