Ivana Pais

Sharing Economy: A Step towards the Re-Embeddedness of the Economy?

The expression «sharing economy» has spread exponentially in the past few years, a sign of the growing interest in a phenomenon that continues to maintain boundaries that are somewhat vague. The hypothesis of this paper is that this can be attributed not only to the pervasiveness and enabling power of new technologies but also to the need to fill a social vacuum due to the failures of the market and the state. The sharing economy is introducing collaborative social forms able (at least ideally) to embed economic relations within social ones. To test this hypothesis, the article uses the instrumentation implemented by Karl Polanyi to analyze the forms of integration of economy and society (exchange, reciprocity, redistribution). The political economy of the late twentieth century was especially interested in exchange (market) and redistribution (state), leaving social reciprocity in the background. However, we have to look at this more carefully to grasp any social and institutional innovation that the sharing economy can promote. The first part of this paper is devoted to an analysis of the forms of integration and, in particular, to reciprocity in its different variants. The second part, in light of the taxonomy proposed in the first, analyzes some of the most significant experiences of the sharing economy, seeking to determine the institutional characteristics and social dynamics that this could (at least potentially) engender and support. The conclusions will attempt to answer the questions formulated and indicate avenues for further research.

Predictors of job seekers’ self-disclosure on social media

Abstract Social media-based screening is a well-known practice to both recruiters and job seekers. Little is known, however, about how job seekers present themselves on social media, i.e. ‘self-disclosure’, for employment purposes. This study builds on the theories of hyperpersonal computer-mediated communication, self-efficacy and social exchange to examine job seekers’ professional online image concerns, social media self-efficacy, and perceptions of social media effectiveness in the job search as predictors of inappropriate and career-oriented self-disclosures on these media. Findings from a sample of 3374 Italian respondents showed that career-oriented self-disclosure was predicted by all three factors, whereas inappropriate self-disclosure was only predicted by social media self-efficacy. Furthermore, the relationship between professional online image concerns and inappropriate self-disclosure was moderated by age, education and work experience, but not by gender. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed, and directions for future research are suggested.

The Emerging Crowdfunding Market in Italy: Are “the Crowd” Friends of Mine?

Emerging literature on crowdfunding, until now, is missing detailed empirical analyses on profiles of “crowdfunders”. Our paper aims to address this shortage, analyzing geographical and socio-economic characteristics of crowdfunders, looking at how crowdfunding influences the nature of geography and social contacts in new ventures. Our analysis concentrates on Italy, a country suffering for a huge economic crisis but that, at the same time, is showing a strong dynamism in crowdfunding. We collect data on donors of about 350 projects, estimating with a micro-econometric model not only which donors’ characteristics increase the likelihood of an investment, but also the role played by social media in the crowdfunding process. Our results give some remarkable indications about crowdfunding in different countries and cultural contexts.

Crowdfunding and free labor: gift, exploitation or investment?

Il saggio si propone di rispondere a una domanda principale: le diverse forme di lavoro gratuito agite nel crowdfunding sono percepite dagli attori coinvolti come dono, sfruttamento o investimento? La domanda di ricerca e stata articolata rispetto ai modelli di crowdfunding, gli attori intervistati e in relazione ai significati che essi attribuiscono alla loro esperienza. La ricerca e stata effettuata mediante l’invio di un questionario on-line a tutte le piattaforme italiane e attraverso interviste semi-strutturate con un campione di piattaforme e di gestori di campagne. Il lavoro e organizzato in tre parti principali: definizione del crowdfunding, analisi delle logiche operative e dei meccanismi sociali che lo governano; mappa della diffusione, crescita e impatto del crowdfunding in Italia; analisi dei significati attribuiti al lavoro gratuito tra i principali attori del settore. Si conclude con l’individuazione di nuovi percorsi di ricerca per l’analisi di un settore che e ancora in fase embrionale, ma presenta alti tassi di crescita.

Sharing what? The ‘sharing economy’ in the sociological debate:

This essay introduces the subject and interpretative perspective of the monograph ‘Unboxing the Sharing Economy’, and is divided into three parts. The first part illustrates the evolution of the concept of the ‘sharing economy’ and the main analytical implications. The second part outlines the key findings of a systematic review of the literature, which indicates both that academic research on the sharing economy has expanded considerably since 2013, and that sociology’s contribution to this debate remains underdeveloped and somewhat incoherent. The final part both locates the contributions to the monograph in the context of other studies and summarizes its content.

Social Recruiting: Control and Surveillance in a Digitised Job Market

Based on an international research project on the uses of digital technologies by job seekers and recruiters, this chapter questions how social media intervene in the matching of demand and supply in various sectors of the job market. Results indicate that social network sites represent a key interface for all parties involved, as job seekers actively engage in social media activity to find job opportunities, and recruiters similarly declare using social media for purposes of screening. The chapter argues this amounts to a form of pre-emptive control on the side of recruiters that enables them to access an unprecedented set of information about prospective candidates and use social media as spaces of observation and surveillance.

Sharing Economy as an Urban Phenomenon: Examining Policies for Sharing Cities

The sharing economy is a growing model in the overall economy. Based on peer-to-peer relations mediated through online platforms, it seems to break new ground in the study of the relationship between online and offline. Although the Internet is where sharing happens the most, car-sharing, house-sharing, swapping, etc. are giving shape to new territories, which are inherently digital and urban.

New Graduates Social Capital: Nodes and Ties in the Transition from University to the Job Market

Il ruolo dei contatti personali nel mercato del lavoro e stato portato all’attenzione degli scienziati sociali da Granovetter nei primi anni Settanta. Gli studi successivi hanno dimostrato l’importanza di declinare le domande di ricerca sulla relazione tra capitale sociale e occupabilita rispetto a specifiche categorie di candidati. Questo paper propone un’analisi sui laureati, che stanno affrontando difficolta crescenti di inserimento nel mercato del lavoro. Qual e l’importanza delle relazioni sociali nell’inserimento lavorativo dei neolaureati? Qual e la morfologia delle reti sociali che risultano efficaci nella ricerca di lavoro? Quali sono le caratteristiche delle persone-di-contatto che hanno permesso ai candidati di trovare lavori soddisfacenti? Per rispondere a queste domande e stato somministrato un questionario via web a un campione di laureati del 2008, l’indagine e stata realizzata tra giugno e agosto 2012 e ha raccolto quasi 6mila risposte.

Looking for a Job Online. An International Survey on Social Recruiting

The paper examines the use of social network sites as a new channel for job search and hiring, looking at the implications this has on candidates and recruiters. This will be done thanks to an online survey, conducted between March and June 2014, which collected responses from more than 17.000 candidates and 1500 recruiters from 24 countries and which includes a specific focus on the dynamics concerning Italy. The main questions this article tackles are: what kind of candidates and firms use social media in the recruitment process; what is the effectiveness of social media in the matching between supply and demand in the labour market; how candidates represent themselves online and how their digital reputation impacts on job search, potentially changing the role of social capital in social recruiting.

Sharing our way into the future

This brief, conclusive essay outlines the challenges that lie ahead of sociology as a discipline in its approach towards the ‘sharing economy’ and its emergent practices. Using the research displayed in the monograph, we offer a set of reflections that should read as a call to arms for sociological research to embrace the ‘sharing turn’ in a comprehensive manner.