Peers Inc

The Peers Incorporated model combines two powerful forces. On one side, we have industrial strengths: companies, governments, and institutions (i.e., the "Inc.") that apply significant resources, talent, and money to simplify the complex, apply standards and consistency, deliver economies of scale, and create global brands. On the other we have individual-strengths: autonomous individuals and small companies (i.e., the "Peers") engaged in local, small scale, customized, and specialized efforts to create just-right unique goods and services, often tapping into their own social networks to promote and distribute them.

When companies and peers each are able to focus on what they do best and can handle what is difficult, annoying, or just plain impossible for the other, the effect of the collaboration is salutary for both sides. The skills and assets of the small and the large are complementary and symbiotic, mutually dependent and yet autonomous.

By tapping into the inherent and unique talents on both sides Peers Incorporated transforms the sources of value creation, and therefore of power. It lets us transcend the tradeoffs that have long plagued the industrial economy. It leverages standards and rules without squandering the

imagination and initiative of free-spirited human beings. It harvests operational discipline without straitjacketing our capacity to adapt. It multiplies the purchasing and creative power of consumers the world over, without consigning them to quasi-feudal, top-down organizations. These new organizations are the embodiment and the lifeblood of the transition to a new cooperative capitalism, one that is dramatically more efficient, more innovative and more humane.

Peers Inc. deepens and enriches recently emergent practices such as the sharing economy,

crowdsourcing, collaborative production, and collaborative consumption. It is fostering relationships that go beyond simple peer-to-peer interaction, enabling peer-to-business, peer-to-government, and small business to big business. They arenand#8217;t bound by the goods of the industrial age, they are able to exchange expertise, networks, data, light and energy, or whatever else creates value for both sides.

and#147;Peers Inc will change our ideas about how the economy is shaped and will transform how we work, build businesses and crack pressing societal problems.and#8221; andmdash; Chris Anderson, author of The Long Tail

and#147;Peers Inc is perfectly timed and convincingly argued.and#8221;and#151;Financial Times

and#147;Chase gives historical insight into her cofounding of ZipCar and how the flexibility and ingenuity of the public allows for new business models to be developedand#133;An engaging and quick read on collaboration and the new capitalism.and#8221;and#151;Library Journal

"A provocative discussion of how public investment and private entrepreneurship can combine to shape future advantages from existing used and unused capacities."and#151;Kirkus Reviews

"A remarkably comprehensive, and extremely clear, guide to the world's new logic. I'm less interested in how these peer networks make money than in how they make change; as Robin Chase points out, if we're going to fight climate change we're going to need just about everyone engaged. Here's a recipe!"and#151;Bill McKibben, founder 350.org

and#147;Clear-eyed, practical and radical insight from a visionary who has already built part of our future. This is just the beginning.and#8221; and#151;Seth Godin, author of Itand#8217;s Your Turn

and#147;Peers Inc will change our ideas about how the economy is shaped and will transform how we work, build businesses and crack pressing societal problems.and#8221; and#151; Chris Anderson, author of The Long Tail

and#147;If you want to understand the forces that are transforming industry after industry, you must read Peers Inc. A smart and engaging account of why peers and platforms are so powerful, and what they can achieve together. A path-breaking book by a true visionary.and#8221; and#151;Juliet Schor, author of True Wealth: How and Why Millions of Americans are Creating a Time-Rich, Ecologically-Light, Small-Scale, High-Satisfaction Economy

When Robin Chase cofounded Zipcar, she not only started a business but established the foundation for one of the most important economic and social ideas of our time: the collaborative economy. With this important book, she broadens our thinking about the ways in which the economy is being transformed and shows how the Peers Inc model is changing the very nature of capitalism.

When the best of people power is combined with the best of corporate power to form and#147;Peers Incand#8221; organizations, a potent creative force is released. The and#147;Incand#8221; in these collaborations delivers the industrial strengths of significant scale and resources, and the and#147;Peersand#8221; bring together the individual strengths of localization, specialization, and customization, unlocking the power of the collaborative economy. When excess capacity is harnessed by the platform and diverse peers participate, a completely new dynamic is unleashed.

In Peers Inc, Robin Chase brings her provocative insights to work, business, the economy, and the environment, showing:

and#149;How focusing on excess capacity transforms the economics of whatand#8217;s possible and delivers abundance to all

and#149;How the new collaboration between the Inc and the Peers enables companies to grow more quickly, learn faster, and deliver smarter products and services

and#149;How leveraging the Peers Inc model can address climate change with the necessary speed and scale

and#149;How the Peers Inc model can help legacy companies overcome their shortening life cycle by inviting innovation and evolution

and#149;Why power parity between the Peers and the Inc is a prerequisite for long-term success

and#149;How platforms can be built within the existing financial system or outside of it

and#149;What government can do to enhance economic possibility and protect people working in this new decentralized world

Chase casts a wide net, illuminating the potential of the Peers Inc model to address broader issues such as climate change and income inequality, and proves the impact that this innovative economic force can have on the most pressing issues of our time.

Robin Chase is co-founder and former CEO of Zipcar, the largest car sharing company in the world. More recently she founded and serves as CEO of Buzzcar and GoLoco, two businesses that provide disruption and innovation to the transportation marketplace. Robin currently serves on the Board of the World Resources Institute, the US Secretary of Commerce's National Advisory Committee for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and the US Department of Transportation's Intelligent Transportation Systems Program Advisory Committee. She served on the World Economic Forum Future of Transportation Council, the Massachusetts Governorand#8217;s Transportation transition team, and the Boston Mayorand#8217;s Wireless Task Force. Her many awards, including Time 100 Most Influential People in the World, the Massachusetts Governor's Award for Entrepreneurial Spirit, Start-up Woman of the Year, Business Weekand#8217;s top 10 designers, Fast Company's Fast 50 Champions of Innovation, technology and innovation awards from Fortune, CIO, and Info World Magazines, and numerous environmental awards from national, state, and local governments and organizations. Robin has been featured in major media, including The New York Times, NPR, Wired, Newsweek and BusinessWeek. She is a graduate of Wellesley College and the MIT Sloan School and has been a Harvard University Loeb Fellow.