A Different Kind of Sharing Economy: A Taxonomy of Platform Cooperatives

Abstract

Platform cooperatives are emerging as new digital organizing forms of traditional cooperatives and as alternatives to big tech platforms behind gig economy. Despite their rapid growth, current research on platform cooperatives is still scarce. This paper aims to develop a systematic taxonomy of platform cooperatives using a theoretically grounded and empirically validated taxonomy development method, which is extended with data visualization and cluster analysis. The resulting eight archetypes show that platform cooperatives not only contribute to a more ethical sharing economy, but also provide new opportunities for gig and other workers across industries. Platform cooperatives are also exploring new opportunities in the knowledge economy, such as cooperative business models centered on data sharing and the creation of platform cooperative ecosystems through mutual support and collaboration. These findings contribute to building the necessary foundations for further research on platform cooperatives as well as entrepreneurial practice focused on ethical sharing/gig economy.