Jagamismajandus

Jagamismajandus, in English commonly called the sharing economy, is an economic model in which individuals share access to goods and services through online platforms, typically on a peer-to-peer basis. In Estonian, jagamismajandus translates to the sharing economy. The model emphasizes access over ownership and aims to increase the utilization of existing assets by rapidly matching supply and demand via digital marketplaces.

Key features include platform intermediaries, trust and reputation systems, flexible participation for workers, and on-demand access to assets such as cars, housing, tools, or workspaces. The approach often relies on underutilized resources and seeks to lower transaction costs, enabling asset owners to monetize idle capacity.

Origins and growth: Concepts of sharing resources gained prominence in the 2000s with ride-hailing and home-sharing platforms. Since then, jagamismajandus has expanded to sectors like vehicle sharing, equipment libraries, coworking, and fashion rental, with regional variations in adoption and regulation.

Impacts: Benefits include greater consumer choice, potential price reductions, and new income streams for asset owners. Potential downsides include precarious or underregulated work, safety and privacy concerns, and market power concentration among large platforms. Environmental effects are debated, with possible efficiency gains but mixed evidence on overall impact.

Regulation and policy: Jurisdictions pursue different approaches, from light-touch regulation to explicit licensing, safety standards, and tax rules. Debates focus on workers’ rights, data protection, platform accountability, and how benefits are distributed among participants and communities.

In public discourse, jagamismajandus is linked to urban mobility, sustainability, and the transformation of traditional employment relationships, with ongoing discussion about its long-term societal implications.