Doctoral defence: New research reveals that the sharing economy is far more than digital platforms

What shapes how people share, and how does the sharing economy develop across different settings? In her doctoral thesis Olga Novikova shows that the sharing economy cannot be understood by looking only at platforms or business models. Instead, it is shaped by cultural values, social relations and the meanings people attach to everyday practices.

“My research shows how sharing takes form in concrete situations. In mobility, this includes shared cars connected to leasing arrangements, public transport or real estate developments, which are all coordinated through digital access. In hospitality, I followed how service providers gradually move from informal, home-based hosting towards more professional routines as their activity expands,” Novikova notes.

Novikova also highlights how the business models change over time. They shift in phases as technologies evolve and providers adapt how they work, for example by connecting to several booking channels instead of relying on one platform. 

The thesis also draws on Ubuntu, an African philosophy that emphasises shared humanity, mutual care and responsibility within a community. This perspective offers an alternative way of thinking about exchange, where value is created through relationships rather than transactions alone.

“We often think the sharing economy is something platforms create. But sharing begins long before technology: in people’s values, relationships and their sense of what ‘sharing’ might mean,” says Novikova.

“My research suggests that sharing is shaped by local culture and everyday practices, not only by digital tools,” she continues. For example, expectations around hospitality and appropriate behaviour influence how hosting is organised and experienced, beyond what platforms prescribe. 

The thesis, To Share or Not to Share? Essays on Business Model Transformation, Ubuntu and the Practices of the Sharing Economy, offers a multi-level perspective on how the sharing economy develops and acquires meaning in different contexts.

Olga Novikova will defend her doctoral thesis on 19 December 2025 at 12:00 at Hanken School of Economics, Arkadiankatu 22, Helsinki.

The defence can also be followed online Doctoral defence Olga Novikova

Opponent: Professor Petri Ahokangas, University of Oulu
Custos: Professor Frank den Hond, Hanken School of Economics