Sharing: Post-Scarcity Beyond Capitalism?

David, M.

Abstract

Regarding efficiency, efficacy and incentive, free-sharing online (of recordings, live broadcasts, software and published works) outperforms market and property systems by reducing costs of production and distribution, increasing quality and access and better promoting creativity. Free-sharing online emerged within “global network capitalism” and non-capitalist networks. Free-sharing of purely informational content online challenges capitalism by eliminating scarcity. However, post-scarcity is limited by constraints on time and the capacity to filter digital plenitude. These limits create scope for alternative business models. Free-sharing online tempers capitalism’s “tragedy of the anticommons”. However, to date, post-scarcity remains incomplete.

Citation

David, M. (2017). Sharing: Post-Scarcity Beyond Capitalism?. Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, 10(2), 311-325. https://doi.org/10.1093/cjres/rsx003

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 12, 2016
• Online Publication Date: Feb 14, 2017
• Publication Date: Feb 14, 2017
• Deposit Date: Jul 26, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 14, 2019
• Journal: Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society
• Print ISSN: 1752-1378
• Electronic ISSN: 1752-1386
• Publisher: Cambridge Political Economy Society
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 10
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 311-325
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/cjres/rsx003
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1379010