Berman, Callie and Darmenova, Yuliya ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3884-6621 (2025) Kazakh sharing practices: a critical inquiry into Sharing Economy models from the vantage of ownership in collective societies. Business and Society. ISSN 0007-6503 (Print), 1552-4205 (Online) (doi:10.1177/00076503251364163)

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Abstract

The Sharing Economy (SE) is often promoted as a sustainable and inclusive model for resource provision, increasingly so for Base-of-the-Pyramid (BoP) contexts. However, dominant SE frameworks ground in individualistic and commodified understandings of ownership may misalign with values in collectivist societies. This article presents a case study from rural Kazakhstan to examine how ownership is conceptualized and enacted through Kazakh linguistic and cultural traditions that draw from the physical steppe ecology. Our findings reveal a relational understanding of ownership that privileges shared access and social obligation over individual control or exclusion. These principles generate forms of social value that extend beyond efficiency and economic utility. By highlighting how sharing practices are shaped by embedded ownership norms, this study challenges the universal applicability of mainstream SE models. It calls for greater attention to culturally situated ownership understanding in order to develop SE strategies that are ethically grounded and contextually responsive to BoP settings.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	This is part of the Special Issue: "Sharing Economy at the Base of the Pyramid: Societal Impact and Challenges." * Paper accepted for publication on 13 July 2025 (email to author). Reuse is restricted to non-commercial and no derivative uses. - MP
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Sharing Economy, ownership, resource, Kazakh, hospitality, base of pyramid
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) H Social Sciences > HB Economic Theory
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Greenwich Business School Greenwich Business School > Executive Business Centre
Last Modified:	23 Oct 2025 16:09
URI:	https://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/51272

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