Peers or Professionals? The P2P-Economy and Competition Law

European Competition and Regulatory Law Review (2017)
30 Pages Posted: 15 Jan 2018
By Sofia Ranchordas
University of Groningen, Faculty of Law

Date Written: December 20, 2017

Abstract
For almost a decade, digital peer-to-peer initiatives (eg, Uber, Airbnb) have been disrupting the traditional economy by offering informal, diverse, convenient and affordable services to consumers. However, more recently, the peer-to-peer economy has become increasingly professionalised. Service providers in the ride and home-sharing sectors feel significant pressure to offer services similar to those of professionals, practise the low or high prices suggested by algorithmic pricing tools, and show at all times professionalism. This shift towards professionalisation has been accompanied by regular information exchanges between service providers and platforms as well as by the growing use of algorithmic pricing.

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