Christopher Sutter

Microfranchising in Base-of-The-Pyramid Markets: Institutional Challenges and Adaptations to the Franchise Model

Microfranchising has attracted interest as a potential strategy for rapid scaling within base–of–the–pyramid (BOP) markets. However, our findings suggest that while microfranchising might provide a number of social benefits to microfranchisees and underserved communities, the institutional contexts that characterize BOP markets create a number of significant challenges to the economic sustainability of the microfranchisor and the overall microfranchising model. Simultaneously, our data also suggest several unique adaptations to the microfranchising model that might help mitigate the institutional challenges associated with agency concerns, resource scarcity, and branding/standardization within BOP markets.

Social Intermediation in Base‐of‐the‐Pyramid Markets

Our study explores the structuring decisions made by intermediaries seeking to alleviate poverty by connecting base‐of‐the‐pyramid markets with more developed markets. Using intermediation theory to ground our study, we collected qualitative data on 29 social intermediation projects located within Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Our findings suggest that ‘socializing’ intermediation theory to more accurately explain and predict structural outcomes across more diverse contexts requires three key modifications: (1) the attenuation of opportunism, which creates an internalizing social force; (2) the accommodation of non‐monetary objectives, which creates an externalizing social force; and (3) the perception of transaction capabilities as tractable, which serves as a guidepost for reconciling these two opposing social forces.

The Transformative Power of Knowledge Sharing in Settings of Poverty and Social Inequality

Knowledge sharing is central to reducing inequality and alleviating poverty. However, communities in settings of extreme poverty are often bounded by distinct perspectives and understandings that hinder knowledge sharing. Furthermore, social fault lines may create internal boundaries that impede interaction, further complicating knowledge sharing. Despite these challenges, some knowledge sharing efforts are successful. The purpose of this study is to better understand how knowledge sharing overcomes boundaries in settings of extreme inequality and poverty. Using qualitative data from rural India, we find that boundary work performed by boundary spanners overcomes external and internal boundaries by creating space for action, observation, and reflection in the recipient community. These actions, or syncretizing mechanisms, transform newly introduced knowledge, which then facilitates further boundary work, resulting in community transformation. Under certain circumstances, we see how boundary work and syncretism can lead to significant knowledge and recipient transformation. Thus, we seek to contribute to the literature by more fully exploring the transformative power of knowledge sharing within contexts of extreme poverty, and by explaining the process by which it occurs.