Divia has defended her licentiate thesis

Divia Jimenez Encarnacion defended her licentiate thesis last week. Her thesis generated knowledge on the consumption and sharing of household goods to support the governance of a sustainable sharing economy (SE) in the city of Gothenburg.

The findings indicate that in Gothenburg, there is a general willingness to change current consumption patterns and a high level of interest in sharing, though interest changes depending on sharing activities. The thesis also identifies demographic factors such as gender, age, and education level that significantly shape consumption and sharing; and household goods such as clothes, furniture, and tools that are potential hotspots for increasing dematerialization through sharing. A qualitative analysis also revealed that the population has positive perceptions of the SE, emphasizing circularity, resource conservation, and cost-saving benefits; but also challenges to overcome, such as practicality.
 
These results provide actionable insights for governing the SE while contributing to reducing the fragmentation in the literature regarding the sustainability value of the SE.

See an abstract of the thesis here.