Earlier this year, when a bunch of Italian OuiSharers started to brainstorm with the organizers of Forum PA – a yearly conference to promote exchange between Public Administrators, business and the civil society on innovation and local governance issues - about a joint event, we knew that regulating the sharing economy out of the grey zone was bound to become a hot topic sooner or later. Well, maybe not this hot and not this timely. News of the violent protests and wildcat strikes of taxi drivers in Milan against Uber and the launch of its new service UberPOP have made the headlines during the last days, until the Minister of transport himself has pledged to take the hard line against “apps and any (?) innovation that allows private subjects to offer a public service without appropriate license”. The case has sparked a lively debate in the Italian community which has quickly grown beyond opinions on whether Uber can be considered or not a valid example of “collaborative” innovation. If Uber alone can cause such trouble, what will happen when even more radically “different” service and business models gather sufficient momentum to alter the balance in their respective market niches? There is reason for concern that public administrators and policy makers may soon be confronted with a wave of disruptive newcomers that simply don’t fit in the classic mould - and despite their social and economic potential, and possibly the willingness of local communities to embrace them or at least put them to the test, be eventually left with no tools, no interface, and no path to go but ban “any innovation”. Not on grounds of unfair competitiveness or lack of transparency or negative impact or even political interest, but as such. Indeed, the Italian scenario is teeming with new initiatives that range from manufacturing to rural and from mobility to placemaking, some of which OuiShare Fest attendees have become acquainted with. What is still largely lacking is a regulatory ecosystem that allows to experiment new business and service models without fear to be branded as “illegal”. And that’s where OuiShare steps in, together with kindred Italian think-tanks Hopen and Collaboriamo.org. The event we will be staging in Rome next Thursday, May 29th, under the title “Twist and Share: Public administrations at the turning point of the sharing economy” will feature collaborative organisations, platforms and projects both national and international - AirBnB, ShareNL, Labsus, SharExpo, HousingLab, European Freelancer Network, the municipality of Bologna, Societing, Cocoon Project and yes, even the controversial Uber – deputy Mayor of Rome Luigi Nieri and Marco Morganti, CEO of Banca Prossima. Panels will be moderated by OuiShare’s own Simone Cicero and by researchers Ivana Pais and Marta Mainieri, promoters of the Sharitaly conference last November in Milan (as well as founders of Italian Crowdfunding Network and of Collaboriamo.org/SharExpo respectively, and both close friends of the OuiShare community). In fact, this year’s edition of ForumPA will devote much attention to the upcoming reform plans from the Italian government targeting public administrations and the third sector, which are intended to make them better suited for cooperation in the face of deep societal changes. In this light, a discussion around the collaborative “twist” could provide a fitting close. What public administrators must prepare to do is more than laissez faire - it’s understanding in order to enable, and possibly embrace new organizational models that allow them to interact with an ever more complex, diverse and dynamic society.
Talking ‘bout a revolution
According to data that were first presented at Sharitaly, 13 percent of Italians have already tried out some kind of sharing : a ride, an accommodation, swapping or bartering some unused goods. That’s a slow pace compared to other countries in Europe, but nevertheless pretty close to the 15 percent tipping point when massive uptake can be expected, especially when one counts in the further 10% who declare themselves “interested” and the 59% who’s caught the word “sharing economy” buzzing out there. “New questions come up every day : what insurance do I need ? how do I pay taxes? and most of all, is this legal?” says Italian Connector Simone Cicero. “Sometimes public administrations and collaborative startups find a way to interact, sometimes they clash, but in any case the issue is too close to be lingered on".
"It’s high time to make strategic choices: what role could or should public authorities play in monitoring, facilitating and regulating a phenomenon that is already changing all models, from business to work to creativity and, in some cases, administration itself?”
“Urban social environments are being rebuilt thanks to the Social Streets that are spreading all over Italy, while a steadily increasing number of coworking spaces and fablabs provide new places for people to meet, discuss and create. There are huge opportunities here for experiments in horizontal governance of public assets. The framework for collaboration between public administration and citizens promoted by the municipality of Bologna and Labsus is one such that is already happening, and more proposals could be tabled to redesign the management of both public and private entities in order to make them more open and proactive”, he concludes. “The spontaneous forms of self-organization we have witnessed in recent years cannot be easily interpreted according to the familiar logics of interaction between economy and society” adds Ivana Pais, a researcher in sociology at the Università Cattolica in Milan. “The rise of the sharing economy is posing some interesting questions about destruction of value in traditional sectors and creation of value of a new kind, about the necessity to redefine the whole system of rules in response to such shifts, and about active citizenship as “productive” citizenship.”
“We are finally talking about transition towards a more resource-efficient and inclusive society, one that has opportunities for all and a steady eye on the common good. We are talking about a revolution.”
So, if you happen to be in Italy, don't miss this chance to bring the collaborative paradigm forward in the Eternal city.