The US may be home to the world’s largest tech companies, but that dominance is increasingly under threat. The challenge is coming not just from adversaries like China, but also from allies like the UK and the EU, both of which are moving ahead of the US in key areas like faster payments and 5G […]
Outside of the EU, it is vitally important that the UK develops a trade policy that is structured around the specific strengths of the British economy. One such strength is the trade in digital goods and services. The government should therefore focus on and champion an area that is often overlooked in trade negotiations: – […]
The expected and unwelcome fightback has begun. It was only a matter of time before the sharing economy would be dealt a hammer blow by the courts and last week the European Court of Justice did its best to stop people using or working for services such as Uber or Airbnb. The opinion from the […]
It’s been 10 years since the iPhone was launched. At that time, the digital revolution was in its infancy and the iPad, Kindle, 4G, Airbnb, Twitter, Android, Oculus, Spotify, Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp & Uber were the unknown future. These are now the dominant technologies of our time. They are disrupting every industry and changing every aspect of […]
The sharing economy is quietly changing the fabric of the country, but it’s not just homeowners or car owners who are benefitting. Slowly but surely the sharing economy is helping those parts of the economy that just can’t be reached by other means. One example, of an 83-year-old woman from Stafford, shows why the benefits […]
Sadiq Khan is the new mayor of London, and has promised to be the most “pro-business Mayor yet”. This is an encouraging statement, yet his previous rhetoric on the sharing economy suggests that he is unlikely to be so accommodating to one of the fastest growing and most popular sectors of the economy. Over the […]
Established market players attempt to block new entrants into the market. It is a scenario which has been played out time and time again throughout history, yet it does us all a disservice. It is happening today with the sharing economy, but to demonstrate how futile such resistance is, we need to look no further […]
London is, as my MEP colleague Syed Kamall frequently says “The greatest city in the world”, yet if Transport for London (TfL)have their way, there is every chance that it will be quickly be seen as one of the more backward looking cities in the developed world. Despite the ongoing digital revolution, of which London […]
The sharing economy is undoubtedly good for consumers, but less often discussed are the benefits it can provide for those people actually offering their goods, services, property or labour on sharing economy platforms. The rewards are clear. Renting out your apartment when you are not there offers a good use of assets and can turn […]
Last week’s decision by the High Court to confirm Uber’s legal status was a victory for advocates of the sharing economy and those who understand the intrinsic value of shared services and its potentially radical effect on the economy as a whole. Whilst the victory was deserved, it still does not adequately address the issue– […]
Disruption, one of the central components of classical liberalism, is fast becoming the definition of what sharing economy services stand for. New technologies are disrupting old business models and whilst Uber’s disruption of the taxi market may be the first industry battle, it will not be the last. Predictably, several governments around the world are […]
