Scottish Expert Advisory Panel on the Collaborative Economy – Analysis and Recommendations

Introduction

The Scottish Expert Panel on the Collaborative Economy have published their long-awaited recommendations for consideration by Scottish Ministers.
In a separate paper, the Scottish Government published an Evidence Paper which summarises the analysis that informed the Expert Panel’s work and covers the six key sector-specific areas, including peer-to-peer accommodation.

Key Points – Scottish Expert Advisory Panel Final Report

The Expert Panel report makes a number of specific and general recommendations for the Scottish Government in relation to the advantages and challenges posed by the growing use of digital, collaborative platforms in Scotland. In the Foreword of the report, the Chair of the Expert Panel noted the complexity of the work undertaken, the fact that the report does not address all of the challenges/opportunities, and touches on the need for further dialogue and study of the collaborative economy in 2018 and beyond.

General Recommendations

The most relevant recommendations are:

Recognising good practice: the Scottish Government should take an active role in encouraging TrustSeal in its work to focus on regulatory recognition, such as a commitment to making clear local regulations for providers that operate in different jurisdictions.
Mapping the collaborative economy in Scotland: the Panel recommended the creation of an “observatory” into the collaborative economy and the government should work with organisations such as Datalab and the Open Data Institute. It makes the important point that “it is crucial that third party analysts focus on collaborating with platforms to access data at source, rather than relying on data scraped information.”
Consumer and provider understanding: the Scottish Government should provide resources to develop a secure, trusted place for individuals to access accurate information on their rights and responsibilities in the collaborative economy.