Well-being in Alternative Economies: the role of shared commitments in the context of a spatially-extended alternative food network

Date
2017
Authors
Watson, F.
Ekici, A.
Editor(s)
Advisor
Supervisor
Co-Advisor
Co-Supervisor
Instructor
Source Title
Journal of Macromarketing
Print ISSN
0276-1467
Electronic ISSN
Publisher
SAGE Publications Inc.
Volume
37
Issue
2
Pages
206 - 216
Language
English
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Series
Abstract

Alternative economies are built on shared commitments to improve subjects’ well-being. Traditional commercial markets, premised upon growth driven by separate actors pursuing personal material gain, lead to exploitation of some actors and to negligible well-being gains for the rest. Through resocializing economic relations and expanding the recognition of interdependence among the actors in a marketing system, economic domination and exploitation can be mitigated. We define shared commitments as a choice of a course of action in common with others. We empirically demonstrate the existence of shared commitments through an in-depth study of a spatially extended alternative food network in Turkey. Finally, we offer an inductive model of how shared commitments can be developed between local and non-local actors to bring new economies into being and improve the well-being of consumers and producers, localities, markets, and society.

Course
Other identifiers
Book Title
Citation
Published Version (Please cite this version)