An Empirical Analysis of the Common Factors Influencing the Sharing and Green Economies

Abstract

The digital revolution, driven and accelerated by the current pandemic, involves changes to known business models. The innovative model of the sharing economy can be a real and sustainable solution for long-term green economic development. The aim of our research was to determine the common factors of the sharing economy and the green economy and the perceptions of Romanian users regarding them. Our research questionnaire was based on the elements we found in the academic literature. To evaluate the collected data, we used the factor analysis method with the support of the SPSS program. As our study reveals, digitalization as well as inclinations towards saving are factors impacting both the propensity towards sharing and support for the green economy. The demarcation line between the sharing and the green economies is rather fluid, the two realities being under a reciprocal influence. In our model, the green economy develops according to the principles of the sharing economy, going a step further in considering the relationship between society and environment, society and sustainable, eco-friendly behaviour. Although the sharing economy is not necessarily a prerequisite of the green economy, it is, nevertheless, easy for societies or groups that have internalized the lessons of the sharing economy to move forward towards the green economy. This study can be an important tool and a first step for businesses, and, more importantly, for the Romanian public institutions to accelerate the implementation of necessary measures, including legislative ones, in order to promote the further development of these economies.