By radically expanding the potential for all of us to make use of resources and excess capacity, digital platforms open up a range of opportunities for ECE countries – not only for consumption, jobs, and entrepreneurship. In the context of circular economy transition, platform economy is potentially one of the most important transformations of our era. By enabling people to transact in ways previously unimaginable, digital platforms present a range of opportunities – and despite its rapid rise, we are likely only to have scratched the surface. How can we all reduce poverty, ensure economic growth and social inclusion for everyone while managing our resources in a sustainable fashion, as outlined in Sustainable Development Goal 12? The platform economy is one of the ways in which we can resolve this apparent conflict: using capacity better promises a range of possibilities to expand consumption opportunities while keeping resource use sustainable.
To help us understand what the platform economy is and why it is so transformational, this pilot episode welcomes one of the most distinguished experts in the area, Professor Michael Munger of Duke University. Based on his book “Tomorrow 3.0”, Michael lays out the enormous potential of platforms to bring together potential supply and demand in manifold ways, making it possible for people to share and exchange in ways that were unthinkable just two decades ago. In this podcast, we will discuss the nature and dynamics of the platform economy, its potential, its long-term impact in the role of public policy both to enable and catalyse platform-based activities in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as managing potential trade-offs and defining the role of government.
This week's guest:
Michael Munger’s personal page
This week’s focus:
- Tomorrow 3.0: Transaction Costs and the Sharing Economy by M. Munger (2018)
- The Sharing Economy: Its Pitfalls and Promises by M. Munger (2021)
Additional relevant publications:
- The Long Tail by M. Andreessen (insert year & publication link)
- The Nature of the Firm by R. Coase (1937)
- Cell phones, not factories by T.Cowen (2016)
- A ‘Good’ Industrial Policy is Impossible: With an Application to AB5 and Contractors by M. Munger (2021)
- The Sharing Economy: The End of Employment and the Rise of Crowd-Based Capitalism by A. Sundararajan (2016)
Relevant UNECE work:
Circular economy:
- UNECE’s 69th Commission session devoted to circular economy where governments share concrete engagements for circularity and harness cooperation at UNECE
- The concept note on the policy dialogue concerning circular economy and sharing economy from the Informal consultations of the Team of Specialists on Innovation and Competitiveness Policies (ToS-ICP)
- The concept note from the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development for the UNECE Region, focusing on circular economy and innovation for sustainable value chains, outlining the policy dialogue and country case studies on implementing the SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production)
- The ToS-ICP report outlining the outcomes of the policy discussions on how the circular economy model could be implemented with the help of innovation-related policy interventions
Innovation Policy Outlook (IPO):
- The 10-page summary of the IPO publication analysing innovation policy reform efforts of the Eastern Europe and South Caucasus region
The Fourth Industrial Revolution:
- The policy note from ToS-ICP reviewing the nature of, the potential impact of, and consequences for innovation policies and institution of the Fourth Industrial Revolution
The United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT):
- The main page of UN/CEFACT, the focal point within the UNECE on trade facilitation recommendations and electronic business standards, outlining its key areas of work and current projects
Food Loss and Waste:
- The webpage of the UNECE Working Party on Agricultural Quality Standards including the latest UNECE tools to combat food loss and waste
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