Digital subsistence entrepreneurs in developed countries: Opportunities and limitations of peer-to-peer platforms
Résumé
This chapter explores the potential of peer-to-peer (P2P) platforms to cope with poverty and unemployment in developed countries. On the one hand, the promoters of the P2P economy praise its ability to empower the precarious by offering self-employment opportunities. On the other hand, its detractors refer to it as the “gig economy” to highlight exploitation, poor social security benefits and no real efficacy as a solution to exclusion. Based on a literature review as well as on qualitative field data collected among low-income entrepreneurs, we investigate the benefits and limitations of P2P platforms in terms of helping deprived people cope with poverty. To reconcile opposing views about the potential of P2P platforms to digitally enable micro-entrepreneurs, the discussion section distinguishes between different types of P2P platforms (on-demand, sharing and buy-and-sell) and concludes that the latter, where entrepreneurs display more autonomy and innovativeness, deserves the attention of all actors engaged in poverty alleviation programs. We conclude with recommendations on how to improve the creation and survival of these ventures.