Catherine Dal Fior, Benjamin Huybrechts and Frédéric Dufays
This article explores how waste collection venture founders in an uncertain sub-Saharan African environment perceive and access resources. More particularly, it investigates why…
Abstract
Purpose
This article explores how waste collection venture founders in an uncertain sub-Saharan African environment perceive and access resources. More particularly, it investigates why, even in a similar context, different types of resource-mobilizing practices can be observed among venture founders and how these different practices can be related to founders’ diverging perceptions of resource accessibility.
Design/methodology/approach
The study compares seven waste collection ventures in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, a particularly uncertain market with shifting public regulation. The comparative case study analysis relies on interviews with venture founders, staff members and sector experts, as well as observations and archival data.
Findings
The findings suggest that the diverse approaches to resource accessibility can be associated with different ways in which venture founders perceive three key dimensions: environmental uncertainty (which is not necessarily seen as negative), the venture’s mission (for-profit or not-for-profit) and the founders’ self-perceptions. Three “perception-practice” patterns are identified, which illuminate different avenues for waste collection venture founders to access resources and position themselves in between local traditions and international influences.
Research limitations/implications
The findings contribute to refining the understanding of the links between entrepreneurial perceptions and resource access in uncertain environments, and further illuminate the diversity and complexity of entrepreneurial approaches in sub-Saharan Africa.
Practical implications
The findings of this paper may help waste management entrepreneurs better leverage resources and deal with uncertainty. Moreover, the paper includes recommendations to public authorities in charge of waste policy at the local, national and international levels, urging them to take the diversity of entrepreneurial approaches into consideration and formulate tailored policies to support waste entrepreneurs in accessing the resources they need.
Social implications
Informing the diversity of waste management practices and their effectiveness directly contributes to supporting small venture development and dealing with pollution, thereby addressing, respectively, sustainable development goals 8 (“Economic development and growth”) and 15 (“Life on land”).
Originality/value
As entrepreneurship in sub-Saharan Africa remains relatively underexplored in comparison with Western contexts, in particular from the perspective of entrepreneurial perceptions, the originality of this article is to connect resource access practices with the different perceptions unfolding in a similar context, thereby shedding light on how such diversity informs the understanding of entrepreneurial practices in uncertain contexts.
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Bob Doherty and Benjamin Huybrechts
This paper seeks to pinpoint the role played by social enterprises in the growth and mainstreaming of fair trade.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to pinpoint the role played by social enterprises in the growth and mainstreaming of fair trade.
Design/methodology/approach
The review encompasses seminal papers on the growth and mainstreaming of fair trade.
Findings
A crucial role is played by social enterprises in establishing fair trade in the mainstream. However this mainstreaming is contested and is argued by some to also lead to potential mission drift.
Research limitations/implications
This review primarily investigates the Northern aspects of fair trade, in particular the role of social enterprise in the market growth of fair trade and its mainstreaming. However more research is required to unpack the producer perspectives of mainstreaming fair trade.
Practical implications
The article investigates one of the pioneering fields of social enterprise to see what lessons can be drawn for other social enterprise sectors that have mainstream ambitions.
Originality/value
This contribution provides a novel review to demonstrate the role played by social enterprise in the growth of fair trade. It argues that the dual mission of fair trade is out of balance and is in danger of becoming reduced to a certification scheme based on minimum compliance. However a rebalancing of social and commercial objectives and acknowledging the innovative approach of fair trade social enterprises would strengthen this pioneering social movement.
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Benjamin Huybrechts and Alex Nicholls
This article aims to explore the role of organisational legitimacy in understanding the emergence and development of “cross‐sector collaboration” between social enterprises and…
Abstract
Purpose
This article aims to explore the role of organisational legitimacy in understanding the emergence and development of “cross‐sector collaboration” between social enterprises and corporations.
Design/methodology/approach
An in‐depth case study of a long‐standing but fragile partnership between a UK‐based Fair Trade social enterprise and a large corporate retailer provides exploratory findings on the role of legitimacy at different stages of the collaboration process.
Findings
The findings highlight how pragmatic and moral legitimacy are mobilised by the social enterprise to justify collaboration throughout three major stages: the very decision of cross‐sector collaboration; the choice of the partner and the framing of the partnership; and the evolution of the collaboration.
Research limitations/implications
While Fair Trade is not the only sector in which social enterprise‐corporate partnerships take place, it has been a pioneering domain revealing the potential as well as the challenges of such partnerships. Taking into account the role of legitimacy throughout the collaborative process is crucial both for comprehensive research and for informed practice.
Originality/value
Although it is documented by a single case study, this paper opens new research avenues to examine social enterprise‐corporate collaborations by developing a “non‐functionalist” view of such collaborations and showing the importance of legitimacy in understanding why and how they emerge, develop and sometimes fail.
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The purpose of this paper is to address the governance of “fair trade social enterprises” (FTSEs), i.e. the organisations exclusively dedicated to the import, distribution and/or…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to address the governance of “fair trade social enterprises” (FTSEs), i.e. the organisations exclusively dedicated to the import, distribution and/or labelling of fairly traded products. The aims are to describe and categorise the types of persons and stakeholder groups represented in FTSEs' governance structures and to look at the link between stakeholder involvement and other organisational features such as resources, goals and activities.
Design/methodology/approach
These questions are investigated through a qualitative field study based on face‐to‐face interviews with the managers of 15 Belgian FTSEs.
Findings
The paper distinguishes three governance models each entailing different governance paradigms: the managerial model, the volunteer‐based and the multi‐stakeholder models. In the three governance models, it is possible to link, to a certain extent, the composition of the governance structures, the access to resources and the goal priorities regarding the different dimensions of the FT activity. In brief, governance appears as an organisational entry revealing much information about the vision and the strategy of the FTSEs.
Research limitations/implications
This paper is limited to Belgian FTSEs and must be considered as one of the first attempts in characterising the specific features and challenges of organisational governance in the FT context. International comparative studies exploring FTSE's governance in a more longitudinal perspective, combining the standpoints of diverse organisational actors, would be most welcome in the future.
Originality/value
As this paper shows, the multidimensional nature of FT and the coexistence of different types of FTSEs in the same country make this a very interesting field to investigate the challenges of governance in social enterprises. Social enterprises and those researching them should pay more attention to the importance of adopting and conceiving governance schemes that are adapted to their multiple missions and enable the access to multiple resources.
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Benjamin Huybrechts and Jacques Defourny
Fair trade organisations (FTOs) have been taken quite early as examples of Social Enterprises (SE) and have contributed to the shaping of the SE concept. The purpose of this paper…
Abstract
Purpose
Fair trade organisations (FTOs) have been taken quite early as examples of Social Enterprises (SE) and have contributed to the shaping of the SE concept. The purpose of this paper is to examine more deeply the link between FTOs and SE, both at a conceptual and at an empirical level.
Design/methodology/approach
First, different theoretical frameworks of SE are introduced and confront FT to each of these frameworks. The second step is an empirical study of FTOs across four European countries to illustrate and deepen the links between FT and SE, focusing on the goals and the governance structures of FTOs.
Findings
All the FTOs combine in some way economic, social and sometimes also political goals. FTOs are thus coherent to the “hybrid goals” nature of SEs. FTOs' governance is also quite specific and often innovative in terms of organisational architecture and stakeholders' involvement. Some FTOs are closer to the European – participatory – approach while others are closer to US – individual – approaches. Finally, the governance structures of FTOs seem to reflect quite well their goal mix.
Research limitations/implications
This paper provides a more solid basis for the often implicit link between FT and SE. Future researches could use this work to explore specific topics of the SE literature in the context of FT (e.g. stakeholders' involvement). The FT example could also be used to examine further the shifting boundaries of the SE reality.
Originality/value
The originality of this paper is to apply the SE concept to a specific field and to show how, within this field, there is at the same time a diversity of organisations, reflecting the diversity of SE approaches; and a range of specific features (especially in terms of goal mix and governance) distinguishing SEs from other types of organisations.
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Eileen Davenport and William Low
There is a growing academic literature exploring the fair trade movement but, to date, there has been little explicit discussion of accountability within the movement. This paper…
Abstract
Purpose
There is a growing academic literature exploring the fair trade movement but, to date, there has been little explicit discussion of accountability within the movement. This paper aims to cast the development of the fair trade movement within a shift from trust‐based relationships to standards‐based systems. The authors particularly aim to focus on the dominance of an external accountability approach being used for Fair Trade Labelling Organization International (FLO) certified products versus an internal accountability approach being adopted through organizational self‐assessment of World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) members.
Design/methodology/approach
While this is predominantly a conceptual paper, the authors draw on primary research with northern and southern fair trade organizations (FTOs). Five southern FTOs were interviewed along with three northern FTOs.
Findings
The paper illustrates the conflict that Power expressed about trust increasingly being placed in formalized “rituals” of auditing rather than in organizations. Standards‐based certification has played a crucial role in mainstreaming fair trade food which reduces the trust relationship to a label and relies on market‐based mechanisms of “ethical consumerism” to signal (dis)content with the operations of the certification system. By contrast, organizational self‐assessment under development by WFTO, which has proven popular amongst southern FTOs, fitting their organisational culture(s) and contributing to organisational learning and democracy, creates greater accountability to internal stakeholders such as producers.
Originality/value
This paper draws direct comparisons between the FLO system of certification of products and the WFTO process of self‐assessment of organizations. It demonstrates that the WFTO system builds on the movement's tradition of democracy and trust. Producers, southern FTOs, and northern FTOs must demonstrate their democratic principles throughout the supply chain up to consumers. Conversely the FLO system governs the products themselves and largely leaves the participants, other than producer groups, free of demands for corporate social responsibility and organizational learning.
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Eleanor Fisher and Sergi Corbalán
Purpose– The article aims to examine principles of fair trade in public procurement in Europe, focusing on legal dimensions related to the European Public Procurement Directives…
Abstract
Purpose– The article aims to examine principles of fair trade in public procurement in Europe, focusing on legal dimensions related to the European Public Procurement Directives. Design/methodology/approach– The article situates public procurement of fair trade products in relation to the rise of non‐state regulatory initiatives, highlighting how they have entered into new governance dynamics in the public sector and play a part in changing practices in sustainable procurement. A review of the legal position on fair trade in procurement law is informed by academic research and campaigning experience from the Fair Trade Advocacy Office. Findings– Key findings are that the introduction of fair trade products into European public procurement has been marked by legal ambiguity, having developed outside comprehensive policy or legal guidelines. Following a 2012 ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union, it is suggested that the legal position for fair trade in procurement has become clearer, and that forthcoming change to the Public Procurement Directives may facilitate the uptake of fair trade products by public authorities. However potential for future expansion of the public sector “market” for fair trade is approached with caution: purchasing fair trade products as a marker of sustainability, which started to be embedded within procurement practice in the 2000 s, is challenged by current European public austerity measures. Research limitations/implications– Suggestions for future research include the need for systematic cross‐institutional and multi‐country comparison of the legal and governance dimensions of procurement practice with regard to fair trade. Practical implications– The paper provides a clarification of current state‐of‐play with regard to legal aspects of fair trade in public procurement of utility for policy and advocacy discussion. Originality/value– The article provides needed elaboration on an under‐researched topic area of value to academia and policy makers.
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The purpose of the article is to move beyond positivistic political economy analysis of fair trade, and to examine competitive dynamics between competing interpretations in terms…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the article is to move beyond positivistic political economy analysis of fair trade, and to examine competitive dynamics between competing interpretations in terms of the very fair trade concept itself.
Design/methodology/approach
Grounded in an ideational ontology, the paper provides a theoretical framework concerned with the contestation of meaning. Analysis applies this framework through a heuristic reading of fair trade's history, drawing on secondary literature, documents and primary qualitative research; and the discursive construction of Fair for Life – a new programme seeking to negotiate the “constitutive rules” of fair trade.
Findings
The article identifies that the history of fair trade and its current competitive dynamics are constituted by a negotiation and contestation of the constitutive rules that set the parameters of the fair trade concept.
Research limitations/implications
The paper complements political economy analysis of socially constructed governance such as fair trade, and adds value to academic analysis by exposing important, yet previously unconsidered, micro‐politics of language and practice. The description and initial analysis of “Fair for Life” opens a new area of empirical interest for scholars of fair trade and sustainability governance.
Practical implications
Analysis highlighting the important implication of discourse and practice for the very definition of fair trade offers practitioners important insights into little considered implication of their practices and their representations in language.
Originality/value
The article complements political economy analysis by demonstrating the value of an ideationally grounded analysis of fair trade and similar socially constructed governance systems.
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The purpose of the paper is to summarise the research evidence related to Fairtrade impacts on women and gender relations and propose a conceptual framework for future research on…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the paper is to summarise the research evidence related to Fairtrade impacts on women and gender relations and propose a conceptual framework for future research on gender and Fairtrade.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper draws on a meta‐analysis of research studies on Fairtrade impact, including over 20 case studies from a range of countries and sectors. It proposes a conceptual framework for understanding and researching Fairtrade gender impacts, including direct, indirect and combined impacts.
Findings
There is a need to situate analysis of Fairtrade gender impacts within concepts of the gendered economy, including attention to gender biases in income opportunities, intra‐household gender relations, organisational and network dynamics, and socio‐cultural, legal and political contexts. The available evidence suggests that Fairtrade has mixed impacts for women ‐ in some situations and contexts it supports women to improve their income, wellbeing and status, strengthening their position within the household and organisations, while in others it exacerbates pre‐existing gender inequalities. Impacts also differ according to factors such as age, marital status, education and wealth.
Research limitations/implications
The conceptual framework should be tested and further refined through empirical work.
Practical implications
The conceptual framework identifies key mechanisms used within the Fairtrade system to bring about change, and highlights the multiple connections between Fairtrade and other influences on gender outcomes at individual, household, organisational and community levels. As such, the paper has practical implications for both researchers and practitioners working in the realm of Fairtrade.
Originality/value
A meta‐analysis of findings on Fairtrade gender impacts has not previously been done in a comprehensive way, and the conceptual framework will support future research on Fairtrade and gender.
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Anne Tallontire and Valerie Nelson
The recent departure of Fair Trade USA (FTUSA) from Fairtrade International is the most seismic event in the fair trade movement in the past decade. This paper aims to analyse…
Abstract
Purpose
The recent departure of Fair Trade USA (FTUSA) from Fairtrade International is the most seismic event in the fair trade movement in the past decade. This paper aims to analyse recent dynamics between and within multiple fair trade strands and the attendant changes in vision and approach.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use and develop a framework focusing on the relationship between business and development to analyse the dominant narratives and practices of each different strand of fair trade. To unpack the various fair trade narratives, they have conducted a narrative analysis of policy documents and online debates in the wake of the split in the fair trade movement and they draw on recent impact studies.
Findings
The politicising narrative in fair trade stresses governance and voice based on clear structures of representation within the standards body, and recognizes the value of development inputs that do not focus solely on technical and quality development, but lead to organisational advocacy and representational capacity of producer organisations and the regional networks. In contrast “pragmatism” focuses more on economic empowerment and using the market to drive change, an approach that is gaining greater traction with the split of FTUSA from FLO, the most prominent body within Fairtrade International.
Practical implications
The analysis raises implications with regards to how impact analysis captures both the pragmatic and politicising narratives.
Originality/value
The paper's originality/value lies in its novel use of narrative analysis and its early analysis of the shifting dynamics within fair trade precipitated by the departure of FTUSA.