Smart Contract and Collaborative Platforms

Abstract

The collaborative economy (CE) involves an intensification of peer-to-peer commerce either directly or through the presence of an intermediary. Collaborative online exchanges are supported by digital processes that involve increased use of new technologies. As an intrinsically connected economy, the EC is therefore inclined to integrate the most recent technological advances, in particular smart contracts. In a recent article, Ertz and Boily raised that this technology can have important impacts for the development of the CE the intensification of exchanges between peers. This chapter consists of a conceptual review analyzing how the CE connects to smart contract technology by observing in particular the motivations of users on digital sharing platforms. The chapter also presents the organizational and managerial implications associated with the implementation of smart contracts in terms of governance, transaction costs, and user trust on collaborative online platforms. A comparison with conventional contracts is also initiated.