The Platform Economy: Change, Challenge and Opportunities

The Higher Education Curricula Development on the Collaborative Economy in Europe (COLECO) project is Erasmus+ funded. The main objective of the COLECO Project is to examine the workings and impacts of the collaborative economy in Europe, focusing on peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation platforms. 

Research informed reports were written and used by the partners to develop two Masters’ level modules, a general module on the Collaborative Economy and another module with a specific focus on Peer-to-Peer (P2P) accommodation platforms. 

This project resonates well with media discussion about the ways in which the platform economy, perhaps best exemplified by companies like Uber and Airbnb, is transforming real world businesses, economy, and society. 

Communities are being changed and challenged by the increased provision of short-term rental accommodation, and this has implications for the provision of local services. The policy and regulatory environment have had to adapt to meet the challenges and to seize the opportunities presented by P2P accommodation platforms.   

In addition to LBU as the project lead this project includes five other partner universities:

• Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb, Croatia
• Cyprus University of Technology, Cyprus
• University of Calabria, Italy
• Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain
• Dokuz Eylul University, Turkey

The COLECO project has delivered several valuable and interesting outputs. These will help educators in the HE sector to better meet the needs of students in a changing world of work and leisure. To find out more about the COLECO project and how you and your HEI might benefit from the tools we have created, you can book onto our free online training event taking place on Tuesday 30 November, from 14:00 – 15:00.