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Extreme exclusion and relative deprivation in subsistence marketplaces: A study in a refugee settlement in Nakivale, Uganda

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  • Madhubalan Viswanathan
  • Robert Alfonso Arias
  • Arun Sreekumar

Abstract

We study how refugees in a settlement face extreme marketplace exclusion through three phases of qualitative research. Overlaying the context of subsistence marketplaces, such exclusion is accentuated by refugee status, fleeing from unimaginable suffering. We interpret our findings in terms of relative deprivation, or the state of feeling deprived relative to some social reference, often used to understand how consumers feel deprived in terms of their relative financial status. We extend relative deprivation theory in research, introducing extreme marketplace deprivation. Whereas most relative deprivation research emphasizes social comparisons to other people, our study of the refugee settlement demonstrates the adverse effects of intrapersonal relative deprivation, that is, feeling deprived relative to one's past. We develop a theoretical framework to demarcate types of extreme marketplace deprivation, classifying these experiences in terms of consumption and livelihood along three facets (material, social, and psychological). We derive implications for consumer affairs.

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  • Madhubalan Viswanathan & Robert Alfonso Arias & Arun Sreekumar, 2021. "Extreme exclusion and relative deprivation in subsistence marketplaces: A study in a refugee settlement in Nakivale, Uganda," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(1), pages 87-117, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jconsa:v:55:y:2021:i:1:p:87-117
    DOI: 10.1111/joca.12296
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    1. Beatriz DeQuero‐Navarro & Karine Aoun Barakat & Clifford J. Shultz & Rafael A. Araque‐Padilla & María Jose Montero‐Simó, 2022. "Consumer animosity and perceived cultural distance: Toward mutual well‐being for refugees and host countries," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(4), pages 1496-1524, December.
    2. Stephen G. Saunders & Srinivas Sridharan & Dani J. Barrington & Regina Souter & Katherine F. Shields & Semisi Meo & Jamie K. Bartram, 2021. "Consumer marketplaces and self‐sufficiency: Meeting consumption needs in community," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(4), pages 1691-1711, December.
    3. Haithem Zourrig & Kamel El Hedhli, 2023. "Consumption coping strategies and well‐being among refugee consumers," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(1), pages 140-170, January.
    4. Xiaodi Qin & Haitao Wu & Yifeng Xie & Xiaofang Zhang, 2022. "Lagging behind the Joneses: Relative Deprivation and Household Consumption in Rural China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-14, November.

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