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The BoP business paradigm: what it promotes and what it conceals

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  • Ana Maria Peredo
  • Nick Montgomery
  • Murdith McLean

Abstract

The Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP) is a popular paradigm within management circles concerning those in poverty. In this paper, we develop a critical analysis of BoP discourse and practice, drawing particularly on the works of Laclau and Mouffe, and enriched by post-development thinking as expressed in the works of Esteva and Escobar, among others. We argue that the BoP paradigm functions to reinforce market capitalist hegemony and – vitally – to conceal economic alternatives. Using the concepts of ‘discourse’, ‘hegemony’ and ‘performativity’, we analyse the politics of language and representation in the BoP discourse. Finally, we point to modes of scholarship that contribute to the nurturing and performance of diverse, non-capitalist economic worlds.

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  • Ana Maria Peredo & Nick Montgomery & Murdith McLean, 2018. "The BoP business paradigm: what it promotes and what it conceals," Oxford Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 46(3), pages 411-429, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:oxdevs:v:46:y:2018:i:3:p:411-429
    DOI: 10.1080/13600818.2017.1399998
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    Cited by:

    1. Xinxiang Zhang & Lijun Hu & Manjula Salimath & Ching-Chung Kuo, 2018. "Developing Evaluation Frameworks for Business Models in China’s Rural Markets," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-28, December.
    2. Haenssgen, Marco J. & Charoenboon, Nutcha & Zanello, Giacomo, 2021. "You’ve got a friend in me: How social networks and mobile phones facilitate healthcare access among marginalised groups in rural Thailand and Lao PDR," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).

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