Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-dnltx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-24T17:48:06.458Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

All smoke, no fire? Sharing practices and political investment in two Italian cities

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 August 2019

Emanuele Polizzi Open the ORCID record for Emanuele Polizzi [Opens in a new window]  and
Matteo Bassoli Open the ORCID record for Matteo Bassoli [Opens in a new window]
Emanuele Polizzi
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology and Social Research, University of Milan-Bicocca, Via Bicocca degli Arcimboldi 8, 20126Milano, Italy
Matteo Bassoli*
Affiliation:
Department Political Science, Law, and International Studies, University of Padua, Via del Santo 28, 35123Padua, Italy
*
*Corresponding author. Email: matteo.bassoli@unipd.it
Get access

Abstract

The practice of sharing products, services, and other activities among people living in the same city has emerged as one of the most important waves of social innovation in recent years. However, the public and scientific debate have, to date, been mostly rhetoric and rarely relied on empirical evidence. A study of the role played by local institutions in governing the phenomenon is still lacking. This paper addresses the issue of the relationship between local governments and private actors in the sharing economy sector, exploiting the ‘political exchange’ approach. Departing from this governance perspective, it appraises the political exchange – and its outputs in terms of co-operation – underlying the governing structures in two Italian cases between 2014 and 2018. We thus bridge the gap between a theoretical understanding of the sharing economy and empirical cases, providing scholars with a framework to study this phenomenon which highlights the crucial impact of the political investment of public institutions.

Keywords

GovernanceItalylocal governmentparticipationpolicy implementation
Type
Research Article
Information
Italian Political Science Review / Rivista Italiana di Scienza Politica , Volume 50 , Issue 1 , March 2020 , pp. 17 - 32
Copyright
Copyright © Società Italiana di Scienza Politica 2019

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Andreotti, A (2018) La ridefinizione degli spazi e dei luoghi del lavoro: il caso dei coworking. In Nuvolati, G. (ed.), Sviluppo Urbano e Politiche per la qualità della vita. Firenze: FUP, pp. 65–80.Google Scholar
Andreotti, A (ed.) (2019) Governare Milano nella transizione al nuovo millennio. Bologna: Il Mulino.Google Scholar
Arcidiacono, D, Gandini, A and Pais, I (2018) Sharing what? The ‘sharing economy’ in the sociological debate. The Sociological Review 2, 275–288. http://doi.org/10.1177/0038026118758529.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arena, G and Iaione, C (eds) (2015). L'età della condivisione: la collaborazione fra cittadini e amministrazioni per i beni comuni. Roma: Carocci.Google Scholar
Armondi, S and Bruzzese, A (2017) Contemporary production and urban change: the case of Milan. Journal of Urban Technology 24, 27–45. http://doi.org/10.1080/10630732.2017.1311567.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barbera, F (2001) Le politiche della fiducia. Incentivi e risorse sociali nei patti territoriali. Stato e Mercato 3, 413–450. https://doi.org/10.1425/472.Google Scholar
Baslé, M (2016) Smarter Cities’ Attractiveness. Testing New Criteria or Facets: ‘Data Scientists’ and ‘Data Platforms’. Journal of the Knowledge Economy August, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-016-0398-0.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bassoli, M (2010) Local governance arrangements and democratic outcomes (with some evidence from the Italian case. Governance 23, 485–508. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0491.2010.01491.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bassoli, M (2011) La governance locale: Alcuni aspetti teorici. In Bassoli, M and Polizzi, E (eds), La governance del territorio: partecipazione e rappresentanza della società civile nelle politiche locali. Milano: F. Angeli, pp. 15–37.Google Scholar
Bassoli, M (2016) Catholic versus communist: an ongoing issue – the role of organizational affiliation in accessing the policy Arena.’ VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations 28, 1135–1156. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-016-9708-1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bassoli, M and Polizzi, E (eds) (2011) La governance del territorio: partecipazione e rappresentanza della società civile nelle politiche locali. Milano: F. Angeli. http://www.francoangeli.it/Ricerca/Scheda_libro.aspx?ID=19458.Google Scholar
Bassoli, M and Theiss, M (2014) Inheriting divisions? The role of Catholic and leftist affiliation in local cooperation networks: the case of Italy and Poland. In Baglioni, S and Giugni, M (eds), Civil Society Organizations, Unemployment, and Precarity in Europe. Basingstoke, Hampshire, England: Houndmills; New York: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 175–203. http://doi.org/10.1057/9780230391437_9.Google Scholar
Belk, R (2014) Sharing versus Pseudo-sharing in Web 2.0. The Anthropologist 18, 7–23. http://doi.org/10.1080/09720073.2014.11891518.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Benkler, Y (2004) Sharing nicely: on shareable goods and the emergence of sharing as a modality of economic production. The Yale Law Journal 114, 273–308. http://doi.org/10.2307/4135731.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bernardi, M (2018) Seoul, city of sharing and collaboration: the rise of an urban ecosystem of social innovation. Sociologia e Politiche Sociali 2, 71–93. http://digital.casalini.it/10.3280/SP2018-002004.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bianchi, I (2018) The post-political meaning of the concept of commons: the regulation of the urban commons in Bologna. Space and Polity 0, 1–20. http://doi.org/10.1080/13562576.2018.1505492.Google Scholar
Botsman, R (2013) The Sharing Economy Lacks a Shared Definition Co.Exist. http://www.fastcoexist.com/3022028/the-sharing-economy-lacks-a-shared-definition.Google Scholar
Bussu, S and Galanti, MT (2015) Local governments at the time of the crisis. Italian Politics 30, 141–159. http://doi.org/10.3167/ip.2015.300109.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Caruso, L (2015) Theories of the political process, political opportunities, structure and local mobilizations. The Case of Italy, Sociologica, 3, 1–28. http://www.rivisteweb.it/doi/10.2383/82471.Google Scholar
Cataldi, L (2011) Governance e strumenti di policy inclusivi: Evidenze empiriche sulle politiche partecipative In Bassoli, M and Polizzi, E (eds), La governance del territorio: partecipazione e rappresentanza della società civile nelle politiche locali. Milano: F. Angeli, pp. 38–63.Google Scholar
Cavenago, D, Trivellato, B and Gascò, M (2016) Making Milan a smart city: An emerging strategy of innovation in governance In de Lancer Julnes, P and Gibson, E (eds), Innovation in the Public and Nonprofit Sectors: A Public Solutions Handbook. New York: Routledge, pp. 110–128. http://doi.org/10.4324/9781315686868.Google Scholar
CCIAA, Camera di Commercio di Mantova (2016 a) Avviso per Costituzione Di Un Elenco Qualificato Di Soggetti Fornitori Di Spazi E Servizi Di Co-Working – PromoImpresa-Borsa Merci. Available at http://www.promoimpresaonline.it/default.asp?idtema=1&idtemacat=1&page=news&action=read&idnews=329 (Accessed 9 July 2016).Google Scholar
CCIAA, Camera di Commercio di Mantova (2016 b) Elenchi E Spazi Co-Working – PromoImpresa-Borsa Merci. Available at http://www.promoimpresaonline.it/elenchi_e_spazi_coworking.asp?ln=&idtema=1&idtemacat=1&page=informazioni&index=1&idcategoria=63073 (Accessed 9 July 2016).Google Scholar
CCIAA, Camera di Commercio di Mantova (2016 c) Tavolo Della Cooperazione. http://www.mn.camcom.it/index.phtml?Id_VMenu=1056 (Accessed 27 June 2016).Google Scholar
CCIAA, Camera di Commercio di Mantova (2017) Rapporto Economico provinciale. Anno 2016. Mantova: CCIAA http://www.mn.camcom.gov.it/index.phtml?Id_VMenu=1076 (Accessed 20 March 2018).Google Scholar
Cersosimo, D and Wolleb, G (2001) Politiche pubbliche e contesti istituzionali. Una ricerca sui patti territoriali. Stato e mercato, 3, 369–412. http://doi.org/10.1425/471.Google Scholar
Co-Mantova (2015 a) Elementi per dar vita al Cambiamento. Ecco la nostra tavola periodica.’ Co-Mantova. http://www.comantova.it/progetti-per-valorizzare-beni-comuni/ (Accessed 3 July 2016).Google Scholar
Co-Mantova (2015 b) Nasce ideAzione: il nuovo spazio di lavoro condiviso di Mantova.’ Co-Mantova http://co-mantova.commoning.city/2015/09/17/nasce-ideazione-il-nuovo-spazio-di-lavoro-condiviso-di-mantova/ (Accessed 3 January 2019).Google Scholar
Co-Mantova (2018) Homepage Co-Mantova http://www.comantova.it/comantova (Accessed 3 August 2018).Google Scholar
Co-Mantova (2019) Come Funziona Co-Mantova-DeRev. http://mantova.derev.com/how-it-works/ (Accessed 7 January 2019).Google Scholar
Comune di Battipaglia (2016) Battipaglia Collabora. Battipaglia Collabora. 2016 (http://co-battipaglia.it/battipaglia-collabora/ (Accessed 6 July 2019).Google Scholar
Comune di Bologna (2014 a) Bologna e i beni comuni urbani Comunità. http://comunita.comune.bologna.it/beni-comuni (Accessed 6 July 2016).Google Scholar
Comune di Bologna (2014 b) Regulation on Collaboration between Citizens and the City for the Care and Regeneration of Urban Commons http://www.comune.bo.it/media/files/bolognaregulation.pdf (Accessed 10 July 2016).Google Scholar
Comune di Mantova (2015) Giunta. http://www.comune.mantova.gov.it/index.php/governo/governo-della-citta/giunta (Accessed 1 July 2016).Google Scholar
Crouch, C, Le Galés, P, Trigilia, C and Voelzkow, H (ed.). 2001. Local Production Systems in Europe: Rise or Demise? Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Comune di Milano (2016) Report delle attività e degli interventi realizzati dal 2012 al 2016. Milano: Direzione Centrale Politiche del Lavoro, Sviluppo Economico e Università del Comune di Milano.Google Scholar
Comune di Milano (2017) Registro degli operatori e degli esperti di sharing economy. https://www.comune.milano.it/dseserver/WebCity/garecontratti.nsf/WEBAll/536C98BE7DA2C669C1257DF500309DA4?opendocumentGoogle Scholar
Easton, D (1965) A Framework for Political Analysis. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall.Google Scholar
Frenken, K and Schor, J (2017) Putting the Sharing Economy into Perspective. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions 23 (June): 3–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2017.01.003.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gascó, M, Trivellato, B and Cavenago, D (2015) How do southern european cities foster innovation? Lessons from the experience of the smart city approaches of Barcelona and Milan In Ramon Gil-Garcia, J and Pardo, TA (eds), Smarter as the New Urban Agenda: A Comprehensive View of the 21st Century City. Taewoo Nam, Cham: Springer, pp. 191–206. http://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17620-8_10.Google Scholar
Gorenflo, N (2015) How Platform Coops Can Beat Death Stars Like Uber to Create a Real Sharing Economy.’ Shareable (http://www.shareable.net/blog/how-platform-coops-can-beat-death-stars-like-uber-to-create-a-real-sharing-economy (7 July 2016).Google Scholar
Iaione, C (2014) CO-Mantova as the Trigger for a Co-Cities Movement. Available at http://www.labgov.it/2014/11/27/co-mantova-co-cities/ (Accessed 27 June 2016).Google Scholar
Iaione, C (2016) Le Politiche Pubbliche Al Tempo Della Sharing Economy: Nell'età Della Condivisione Il Paradigma Del Cambiamento È La Collaborazione In Le politiche della condivisione. La sharing economy incontra il pubblico. Polizzi, M and Bassoli, M (eds), Milano: Giuffrè, pp. 33–70.Google Scholar
Kostakis, V and Bauwens, M (2014). Network Society and Future Scenarios for a Collaborative Economy. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK. http://link.springer.com/10.1057/9781137406897.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
LabGov (2016) LabGov Laboratory for the Governance of The Commons. Available at http://www.labgov.it/ (Accessed 27 June 2016).Google Scholar
Labsus (2014) Imprese per I Beni Comuni: Labsus Al Festival Della Cooperazione. Available at http://www.labsus.org/2014/11/laboratorio-di-co-progettazione-imprese-per-ibeni-comuni-presenta-risultati-al-festival-della-cooperazione/ (Accessed 9 July 2016).Google Scholar
Labsus (2016) Progetto. Labsus. http://www.labsus.org/progetto/.Google Scholar
Lewanski, E (2013) Institutionalizing deliberative democracy: the ‘Tuscany laboratory. Journal of Public Deliberation 9, 1–16. http://www.publicdeliberation.net/jpd/vol9/iss1/art10.Google Scholar
Lloyd, WF (1833) Two Lectures on the Checks to Population. Available at http://archive.org/details/twolecturesonch00lloygoog (Accessed 27 June 2016).Google Scholar
Mackintosh, M (1992) Partnership: issues of policy and negotiation. Local Economy 7, 210–24. http://doi.org/10.1080/02690949208726149.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maggi, B (2003) De l'agir organisationel. Un point de vue sur le travail, le bien-etre, l'apprentissage. Toulouse: Octarés Editions.Google Scholar
Magnatti, P, Ramella, F, Trigilla, T and Viesti, V (2005) Patti territoriali: lezioni per lo sviluppo. Bologna: Il Mulino. http://www.darwinbooks.it/doi/10.978.8815/143914.Google Scholar
Manzo, C and Pais, I (2017) I fondatori di startup in Italia tra agency e struttura. Una ricerca esplorativa. Quaderni di Sociologia, 73, 9–28. http://journals.openedition.org/qds/1653.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Manzo, C and Ramella, F (2015) Fab labs in Italy: collective goods in the sharing economy. Stato e mercato 35, 379–418. http://www.rivisteweb.it/doi/10.1425/81605.Google Scholar
Mariotti, I, Pacchi, C and Di Vita, S (2017) Coworking spaces in Milan: ICTs, proximity, and urban effects. Journal of Urban Technology 24, 47–66. http://doi.org/10.1080/10630732.2017.1311556.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McAdam, D and Tarrow, S and Tilly, (2001) Dynamics of Contention. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MIT (2017) Shareable Cities – MIT Senseable City Lab. Available at http://senseable.mit.edu/shareable-cities (Accessed 7 July 2017).Google Scholar
Pacetti, V (2009) Territorio, competitività e investimenti esteri. Beni collettivi locali e agenzie di promozione nelle regioni europee. Roma: Carocci.Google Scholar
Pais, I and Provasi, G (2015) Sharing economy: a step towards the Re-embeddedness of the economy? Stato e Mercato 3, 347–378. http://www.rivisteweb.it/doi/10.1425/81604.Google Scholar
Pais, I, Polizzi, E and Vitale, T (2019) Governare l'economia collaborativa per produrre inclusione: Attori, strumenti, stili di relazione e problemi di implementazione. In Andreotti, A (ed.), Governare Milano nella transizione al nuovo millennio. Bologna: Il Mulino pp. 215–237.Google Scholar
Pasqualini, C (2017) Il quartiere del Terzo Millennio: le Social Street a Milano e provincia. In Polizzi, E and Bidussa, D (eds), Agenda Milano. Ricerche e pratiche per una città inclusiva. Milano: Feltrinelli, pp. 80–90. http://fondazionefeltrinelli.it/schede/ebook-agenda-milano-9788868352738/.Google Scholar
Piselli, F (2005) Capitale sociale e società civile nei nuovi modelli di governance. Stato e Mercato 75, 455–485.Google Scholar
Polizzi, E and Vitale, T (2017) Governo collaborativo e catene relazionali di innovazione. Spunti a partire dal caso di Milano. Quaderni di Rassegna Sindacale 18, 129–147.Google Scholar
Polizzi, E, Tajani, C and Vitale, T (2013) Programmare i territori del welfare attori, meccanismi ed effetti. Roma: Carocci.Google Scholar
Purdue, D (2005) Community leadership cycles and the consolidation of neighbourhood coalitions in the new local governance. Public Management Review 7, 247–66. http://doi.org/10.1080/14719030500091418.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ravazzi, S (2017) When a government attempts to institutionalize and regulate deliberative democracy: the how and why from a process-tracing perspective.’. Critical Policy Studies 11, 79–100. http://doi.org/10.1080/19460171.2016.1159139.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sadoway, D and Shekhar, S (2014) (Re)Prioritizing citizens in smart cities governance: examples of smart citizenship from urban India The Journal of Community Informatics 10, Retrieved from http://www.ci-journal.net/index.php/ciej/article/view/1179.Google Scholar
Saunders, T and Baeck, P (2015). Rethinking Smart Cities from the Ground Up. London: Nesta. http://www.aeidl.eu/images/stories/pdf/smartcities.pdf (Accessed 1 July 2016).Google Scholar
Schmitter, PC (2002) Participation in governance arrangements: Is there Any reason to expect it will achieve ‘sustainable and innovative policies in a multi-level context’? In Grote, J and Gbikpi, B (eds) Participatory Governance. Opladen: Leske & Budrich, pp. 51–69. http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-663-11003-3_3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scholz, T (2014) Platform Cooperativism vs. the Sharing Economy Medium. Retrieved July 7, 2016. Available at https://medium.com/@trebors/platform-cooperativism-vs-the-sharing-economy-2ea737f1b5ad.Google Scholar
Sennett, R (2012) Together: The Rituals, Pleasures and Politics of Co-Operation. London: Penguin. http://www.penguin.co.uk/books/553/55382/together/9780141022109.html.Google Scholar
Sharable (2017) Sharing Cities Network https://www.shareable.net/sharing-cities-network (Accessed 7 July 2017).Google Scholar
Sharitaly (2017) La sharing economy in Italia. Available at http://sharitaly.com/la-sharing-economy-in-italia_la-mappatura-delle-piattaforme-collaborative-e-di-crowdfunding (Accessed 14 August 2017).Google Scholar
Teisman, GR and Klijn, EH (2002) Partnership arrangements: governmental rhetoric or governance scheme? Public Administration Review 62, 197–205. http://doi.org/10.1111/0033-3352.00170.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
USCF – United States Conference of Mayors (2013) In Support of Policies for Shareable Cities’, Adopted resolutions. The U.S. Conference of Mayors 81st Annual Meeting. http://legacy.usmayors.org/resolutions/81st_conference/metro18.asp (Accessed 7 July 2017).Google Scholar
Vangen, S and Huxham, C (2003) Enacting leadership for collaborative advantage: dilemmas of ideology and pragmatism in the activities of partnership managers. British Journal of Management 14, S61–76. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8551.2003.00393.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vesan, P and Sparano, V (2009 a) I partenariati per lo sviluppo locale: logica politica e dinamiche di consolidamento. Roma: Carocci.Google Scholar
Vesan, P and Sparano, V (2009 b) Il consolidamento dei partenariati per lo sviluppo locale. Una ricerca sui patti territoriali della provincia di Torino. Rivista italiana di scienza politica 39, 53–86. http://www.rivisteweb.it/doi/10.1426/29262.Google Scholar
Vitale, T (2010) Building a shared interest: Olinda, Milan, social innovation between strategy and organizational learning. In Moulaert, et al. (eds). Can neighbourhoods save the city? Community development and social innovation London: Routledge, pp. 81–93. http://doi.org/10.4324/9780203849132.Google Scholar
Vitale, T (2015) Comment on Loris Caruso/4. Territorial conflicts and new forms of left-wing political organization: from political opportunity structure to structural contexts of opportunities. Italian Journal of Sociology on line” 3/2015, pp. 1–13, Sociologica, 3. http://www.rivisteweb.it/doi/10.2383/82475.Google Scholar
Walton, JK (2015) Revisiting the rochdale pioneers. Labour History Review 80, 215–48. http://doi.org/10.3828/lhr.2015.10.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Polizzi and Bassoli supplementary material

Polizzi and Bassoli supplementary material
Download Polizzi and Bassoli supplementary material(File)
File 24.7 KB