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Techonomy Video | December 20, 2013, 1:09 PM | Techonomy Exclusive

We know the sharing economy as an efficient and convenient resource, and launchpad for trendy startups like Uber, Airbnb, and TaskRabbit. But the sharing economy could help address needs for a much wider swath of society, instead of just enabling better options for the already-privileged. At Techonomy 2013, Brookings Institution fellow Jennifer Bradley discussed the sharing economy’s opportunity for inclusion, such as creating an Uber-like system to help low-income people get to work, and enabling the sharing of essential “means of production” like 3D printers and power tools. “How can we take these sharing mechanisms and torque or repurpose them from the point of view of people for whom sharing is not a cool, optional, sexy, ‘I-don’t-want-to-be-burdened’ thing, but for people for whom it’s an absolute necessity because they don’t have the resources for traditional ownership?” Bradley posits. If we could, the sharing economy could be a powerful engine for economic growth and job creation.