Beyond ownership: Exploring the sharing economy platforms in Thailand’s emerging market

Abstract

Despite the global rise of sharing economy platforms (SEPs), their success in emerging economies remains inconsistent—largely due to institutional voids and the lack of adaptive business models, leaving these platforms particularly vulnerable to external pressures. This study examines the institutional logics influencing SEP development in emerging economies, with Thailand as a case study. Through qualitative analysis, we identify a range of institutional forces and theorize their dynamic influence with platform development. The key insight of our study is the development of a novel integrated interactive sharing economy platform framework that reveals how these external forces act as both enablers and constraints, and how platforms can strategically leverage internal resources and capabilities to balance and contain these pressures. Our findings highlight the critical role of institutional logics in shaping platform outcomes and offer foundational guidance for future research, platform strategy, and policymaking in underexplored institutional contexts, particularly in emerging economies.