Sharing Economy in India: Looking Base of the Pyramid Through Critical Infrastructure

Abstract

Sharing is an age-old concept and has triggered the unprecedented prospects for collaborative consumption across the globe. The famous brands like Airbnb, BlaBlaCar, Uber, eBay and Lyft have transformed the business landscape on the fundamentals of ‘availability, accessibility and affordability’ in a resource-constrained environment for the poor. But the potential socio-economic impact of sharing economy in revamping labour market informality, mitigating poverty and promoting sustainable development has not gauged desired focus in India. The success of Indian start-ups like Oyo and Ola amplified the debates over the conduciveness of sharing resources for inclusive growth in India. So, this chapter attempts to conceptually discuss the unexplored significance of critical infrastructure (telecommunication and energy) and shared businesses for employment and poverty reduction in India. An exploratory research is performed through textual Content analysis and Case studies, retrieved from the reports of World Bank, PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers), McKinsey & Company, World Economic Forum, etc., to comprehend the impact of sharing. Further, the Economic theories were recontextualised and reveal the inherited concepts of ‘Circular Economy’ and ‘Sustainability’. Hence, the chapter could furnish a new instrumental paradigm to the untapped opportunities of sharing economy in India considering the base of the pyramid through critical infrastructure.