Everybody nowadays is familiar with Uber, Airbnb, and other examples of the so-called sharing economy. While the principle of sharing sounds intriguing and the potentials seem to be overwhelming, we must not forget about the risks that emerge with it.
This Debate Café will discuss the pros and cons of the sharing economy. (How) does the sharing economy create new opportunities for consumers and entrepreneurs? Will it change the future of how we do business? What are the consequences for economy? And how about labor law, workers’ rights and consumer protection? Does a platform provide only an online service or in fact the underlying service itself?

Join the Debate Café on Monday 20 November at 8 pm and listen to our guest speakers while they discuss these issues, and join in on the discussion yourself.

Moderator: Teun Dekker,
Vice Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences Education at University College Maastricht.

Panelists:
Henna Virkkunen,
Finnish politician and Member of the European Parliament (MEP). Former Minister of Public Administration and Local Government. In parliament, Virkkunen has been serving on the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy since 2014. She is the rapporteur on digital platforms.

Mark Kawakami,
Ass. Professor Private Law, Faculty of Law, MEPLI (Maastricht European Private Law Institute). One of his Publications: The Increasing Tension Between the Sharing Economy and Worker’s Rights: Law in an “Uberized” Economy.

Thomas Ziesemer,
Associate Professor of Economics, School of Business and Economics, UNU-MERIT. Research interests: Economic Development, Innovation, Governance and Institutions, Sustainable Development, Innovation and Societal Transitions, Migration and Development

Laurin Sepoetro,
Senior Associate, EU Public Policy at Uber. As part of the EU policy team Laurin is leading on Uber's policy thinking on Future of Work in Europe and is engaged in the political discussions in Brussels. Laurin is a Maastricht University alumnus.

The Debate Cafe is an activity organized by Studium Generale in cooperation with a student association. It covers important recent developments in science and society. It’s a meeting place for experts, researchers and students.
​The Debate Cafe will be held in an informal setting. A panel of experts will talk about their research and its relation to and impact on society. Everyone in the audience can go into debate with the panel and exchange views and ideas.

This Debate Cafe is organized by Studium Generale and Enactus, a multinational team of talented students from different faculties who combine passion, experience and academic knowledge to empower people in need and improve the life in our local community.