The non-profit sharing economy from a social exchange theory perspective: a case from World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms in Taiwan

Abstract

The non-profit form of the Sharing Economy (SE) is arguably better positioned to manifest the alternative nature of SE that supports sustainable production and consumption than its for-profit counterpart. However, interactions in non-profit SE are imbued with uncertainties that can discourage participants’ continuing engagement. Social exchange theory was adopted to explore the dynamism of non-profit SE exchange in the context of WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) as a niche area. The study was conducted primarily through semi-structured interviews with eighteen WWOOF farm hosts in Taiwan. The findings revealed that most hosts opened their farms to share their organic farming knowledge with WWOOF guests as a measure to attain social/environmental, cultural, and economic values that motivated their participation in WWOOF. Depending on the value(s) salient in driving WWOOF hosts’ participation, the exchange rules of reciprocity, rationality, and altruism were variously applied to manage uncertainties and limited resource capacities, and address issues arising from demands for emotional labor and social dilemmas. Positive exchange outcomes were experienced when exchange rules lead to reduced uncertainties, and enhanced equality, fairness, and joint responsibility. Implications of how the findings can be applied to promote sustainable production and consumption through non-profit SE are discussed.