How co-ops can transform the sharing economy

08 June 2016

From 5-6 June, the Creatives Get Mutual Seminar and one-day Summit explored how co-operatives can transform the sharing economy and how the business model can support arts workers, creative industries and other sectors to survive and thrive. Prominent sharing law expert Janelle Orsi (USA) spoke about what’s wrong with the sharing economy and how co-ops can fix it. She was joined by Senator Bridget McKenzie, Julie Owens MP and James Chin Moody, CEO of Sendle over the two days.

Seminar video and presentations

Download Janelle Orsi’s presentation.
Download James Chin Moody’s presentation.

Summit presentations

Download Janelle Orsi’s presentation.
Download Robyn Donnelly’s presentation.

Event images

View images from the Seminar and Summit.

Media coverage

Co-ops and the new economy, ABC Big Ideas, 21 July
Worker co-ops may be the solution to pitfalls of the sharing economy, SMH, 12 June
Start-up co-operatives take on the Uber economy, The Age, 7 June
The dark side of the sharing economy, ABC Life Matters, 7 June
Nathan Schneider interview, ABC Sydney 702 , 10 June
Renegade Economists, 3CR, 8 June

Platform Cooperativism – How to make the ‘Uber’ economy work for people

On 7 June in Melbourne, Janelle was joined by Nathan Schneider (USA) to discuss how co-operatives can meet the needs of a growing class of freelance workers in the “gig economy”. Nathan discussed the idea of Platform Cooperativism which originated in the USA.

Platform Cooperativism encompasses three core action areas. The first is the reappropriation of the technological tools that TaskRabbit and other for-profit sharing enterprises are built upon for a different, democratic ownership model. Second, platform cooperativism is “about solidarity”— a commitment to the collective over the individual. Finally, platform cooperativism maintains platform capitalism’s focus on innovation and efficiency, but again with the broader objective of contributing to the common good.

Presentations

Download Janelle Orsi’s presentation.
Download Nathan Schneider’s presentation.

Event images

View images from the event.

Listen to Platform Cooperativism moderator, Van Badham, on about co-operatives and the economy from 17 minutes in a Guardian podcast.