Peer2Politics

The Global Commission on Business and Sustainable Development — a new commission launched Thursday at the World Economic Forum by the former UN Deputy Secretary General Mark Malloch-Brown and Unilever CEO Paul Polman — will work over the next year to articulate and quantify the compelling economic case for businesses to engage in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Ballarat St permanent park providing green space for the people of Yarraville (Melbourne).

A new report from the RSA outlines the possibilities and challenges, especially regarding regulation, associated with the sharing economy. (Fair Share)

Last week, the White House strengthened its support for Open Educational Resources (OER) and committed to expanding access to them through open licenses and technology.

The Battle of Yavin where the first Death Star was destroyed. Credit: Fanpop We have an epic choice before us between platform coops and Death Star platforms, and the time to decide is now. It might be the most important economic decision we ever make, but most of us don't even know we have a choice.

In 2012, the city of Seoul launched Sharing City Seoul to create a local, government-sanctioned sharing culture – establishing the city of 10 million as a frontrunner in the sharing cities movement. City officials committed to cultivating a vibrant local sharing economy, and Seoul was quickly praised as a global sharing leader. But results on the ground have been mixed, and the initiative remains a work in progress. Sharing City Seoul hasn't taken off as hoped, and awareness of the sharing econo

The RSA’s recent report explores the emergence of a new kind of monopoly power in the sharing economy, and considers how we might challenge increasing economic concentrations of power through rethinking our approach to governance and regulation.

Graphic recording of a recent Shareable-hosted discussion on sharing cities.

It is quite fitting that Sharitaly, an attempt to “translate” the sharing economy into the Italian context, took place in Milan, a city which has played such an enormous role in the development of workers’ rights in Italy, and is the current business capital of the country.

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As the sharing economy explodes in growth, with new startups emerging regularly, many city officials are left scratching their heads wondering how to deal with this industry. From Uber and Airbnb, which have become what Shareable co-founder Neal Gorenflo describes as “death star platforms," to local sharing projects, much of the sharing economy remains in grey areas.

The Battle of Yavin where the first Death Star was destroyed. Credit: Fanpop We have an epic choice before us between platform coops and Death Star platforms, and the time to decide is now. It might be the most important economic decision we ever make, but most of us don't even know we have a choice.

The next time your right-wing family member or former high school classmate posts a status update or tweet about how taxing the rich or increasing workers' wages kills jobs and makes businesses leave the state, I want you to send them this article.

Governments should consider giving up direct control of key services if technology can provide better solutions, Cabinet Office minister Matthew Hancock MP has told WIRED