Enabling Consumer, Entrepreneurial, & Sustainability Literacy

We have now conducted research for two decades on low-literate, low-income consumers in the United States, and subsistence consumers, entrepreneurs, and marketplaces in South India, Latin America, and Africa, spanning the spectrum from understanding subsistence consumers and entrepreneurs at the level of thinking, feeling, and behaviors to product development, business models, and sustainable development, keeping the promise of a bottom-up approach. We have authored 40 publications including several books and edited special issues with approximately 60 refereed publications focusing on subsistence marketplaces.

We focus on actionable research that combines interdisciplinary perspectives and bridges theory and practice. Much of the existing social science research is focused on literate, resource-rich individuals and societies. Our research examines contexts that lie across resource and literacy barriers, with projects spanning topics such as poverty, literacy, and psychology, consumption and entrepreneurship, and marketing and management.

Voices from Subsistence Marketplaces

Voices From Subsistence Marketplaces was created with the idea of bringing out the lives and stories of those we’ve met while working in various parts of the world. In a sense, our research has been about listening to voices previously unheard. Through our interactions, we have been fortunate to meet  hundreds of low income consumers, who have generously shared their lives and experiences.

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Instructional Resources

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Shakti Rising

Books