IPS-MCCY Sharing City Workshop

Why did we select this report?

This report summarizes the main outcomes and inisghts of the workshop held in Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore. The Sharing Cities Alliance co-founder Pieter van de Glind joined the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) in a discussion to understand the sharing landscape in Singapore. It was attended by nearly 70 participants comprising policymakers, businesses, innovators, academics and representatives from the people sector

Key findings: 

The workshop revolved around the following topics:

• Key Trends and Developments in the International Sharing Economy Landscape. Mr. van de Glind underlined the role that shareNL had in the creation of online sharing platforms, and the relative benefits. He envisioned Singapore as a front-runner in Asia that could create spaces for sharing communities to thrive. As a member of the Sharing City Alliance, Singapore could even host the next sharing cities summit.
• Sharing Initiatives and the Sharing Landscape in Singapore. Dr Soon then presented a map of Singapore’s sharing landscape, based on the level at which sharing takes place (individual, collective or public) and motivation type (intrinsic or extrinsic). Most sharing initiatives met extrinsic needs such as cost savings and convenience, and took place at the collective level. Examples include co-working spaces and ride sharing platforms.
• Sharing Economy 2.0 — Security, Trust and Service. Mr Patrick Wong, President of the Sharing Economy Association (Singapore) provided a brief overview of the association and how it represents members on matters relating to the sharing economy.
• Dialogue Session. From MCCY’s perspective, sharing should create a sense of community. This point was echoed by Dr Soon, who added that taking a “purist stance” might omit the positive externalities that different types of sharing engender. Mr van de Glind added that there had to be a group of early adopters who were willing to experiment in order to drive more bottom-up sharing initiatives. In closing, Mr van de Glind recommended that the Singapore government articulate a “sharp definition” for sharing initiatives, one that could be expanded upon and allow for exceptions.