Conceptualizing the sharing economy: An analysis of 201 definitions

Abstract

The sharing economy (SE) remains a widely researched but conceptually fragmented concept in academia. Many scholars have argued that a multitude of SE understandings persists, undermining cumulative knowledge development. Yet no systematic and comprehensive review of SE conceptualizations has been undertaken since 2021. The aim of this paper is to provide such a review. To this end, this article analyzes 201 SE definitions published between 2014 and 2024 in scholarly journals. This study employs an iteratively developed coding framework to these definitions and their surrounding text, analyzing the results from both a general and temporal perspective. The article documents three major shifts in how SE has been conceptualized in recent years. First, scholars now increasingly agree that SE involves peer-to-peer exchange without permanent transfer of ownership and for compensation; by contrast, earlier definitions more often explicitly included transfer of ownership and non-compensatory sharing. Second, labor sharing is increasingly excluded, raising questions about whether early prominent cases such as Uber still belong to SE. Third, environmental sustainability and resource efficiency have emerged as the prime objectives of SE, replacing the earlier emphasis on economic gains. This evolutionary finding challenges the persistent critique of the SE as a market-driven phenomenon. Instead, it suggests that the discourse has repositioned SE as a broader instrument for sustainability transitions over the last five years. The Internet and ICT remain the core enablers of SE. By clarifying prevailing understandings, this article offers a firmer conceptual foundation for future theoretical and empirical work on SE.