Laurel Steinfield | Bentley University (original) (raw)
Papers by Laurel Steinfield
Routledge eBooks, May 31, 2024
The Journal of consumer affairs/The journal of consumer affairs, Mar 12, 2024
Business and Politics, Mar 1, 2023
Developments in marketing science: proceedings of the Academy of Marketing Science, 2023
Academy of Management Proceedings
The Journal of consumer affairs/The journal of consumer affairs, Apr 1, 2024
Journal of the Association for Consumer Research
Business and Politics
Legality of abortion has been one of the most controversial political initiatives in modern times... more Legality of abortion has been one of the most controversial political initiatives in modern times, which also impacts the healthcare delivery system especially for women. The debate often devolves into disagreement on either access to services on demand from healthcare providers or service refusal regardless of the circumstances. However, the reality is different from this bipolar conversation. Instead, it varies depending upon location of the potential abortion recipient and a host of factors associated with nation-states. Thus, our purpose is to reveal different legislative protocols that lead to or inhibit availability of this aspect of women's reproductive rights, and to empirically determine what are the underlying series of factors that drive these policy decisions. Together they reveal a complex mosaic of fundamental principles that are rarely considered when formulating public policy. We hope our research across nations will help healthcare providers and policy makers re...
Energy Research & Social Science
Gender, Work & Organization
Africa Journal of Management
Supplemental Material, sj-docx-1-ppo-10.1177_0743915620976563 for Across Time, Across Space, and ... more Supplemental Material, sj-docx-1-ppo-10.1177_0743915620976563 for Across Time, Across Space, and Intersecting in Complex Ways: A Framework for Assessing Impacts of Environmental Disruptions on Nature-Dependent Prosumers by Laurel Steinfield, Srinivas Venugopal, Samuelson Appau, Andres Barrios, Charlene Dadzie, Roland Gau, Diane Holt, Nguyen Thi Tuyet Mai and Clifford Shultz in Journal of Public Policy & Marketing
Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 2021
Environmental disruptions, such as extreme weather events or poisoning of natural resources, are ... more Environmental disruptions, such as extreme weather events or poisoning of natural resources, are increasing in frequency and intensity. These critical global problems demand market- and policy-based solutions. Adopting a Transformative Consumer Research perspective, this article examines the effects of environmental disruptions on the livelihoods of a very vulnerable group: nature-dependent prosumers. Nature-dependent prosumers often live in subsistence markets, but the impact of environmental disruptions on their lives can have repercussions throughout local and global systems. This article thus offers practitioners and researchers a framework, the “cross-scale intersectionality matrix” (CSIM), to better understand the differing impacts of environmental disruptions and envisage effective solutions. The CSIM reveals how environmental disruptions affect marketing systems’ exchanges of production and consumption (1) across multiple spatiotemporal scales, resulting in cross-scale impac...
Journal of Product Innovation Management, 2019
Social innovations and their diffusion are critical in bridging the multiplicity of deprivations ... more Social innovations and their diffusion are critical in bridging the multiplicity of deprivations experienced by those in subsistence contexts. Yet they often do not diffuse as expected. To better understand this prevalent problem, this article develops a theory of diffusion that explains the reproduction (duplication) of social innovations in subsistence contexts. The theory utilizes a bottom-up perspective that considers what attributes of innovations and capacities of actors matter to reproduction, particularly for subsistence user-producers. Adopting an inductive, case-based approach, the authors draw on examples of social innovations in sub-Saharan Africa. Based on the authors' research and extant literature, this article builds a typology that captures different modes of reproduction. The typology delineates three archetypes of reproduced social innovations: mimetic, facilitated, and complex, and notes how frugal innovations can emerge from these archetypes. These archetypes are based on the interactions of: (1) a product's resource and knowledge complexities, and (2) the knowledge capabilities or resources of various actors, including subsistence user-producers and bridging agents. The typology thus illuminates the conditions under which subsistence user-producers might independently reproduce a social innovation (mimetic innovations), when they need assistance from bridging agents (facilitated innovations), and when the mix of resources and knowledge are beyond their capacity (complex innovations). Moreover, by exploring reproduction experiences of subsistence users, this article recognizes the implications of low literary, close social networks, and physical limitations. By examining who controls the knowledge and resources imperative to reproduction, the authors go beyond a focus on the social benefits of innovations to consider how intellectual property and profits matter to different actors. This article pulls together these various insights and identifies key implications that social innovators and intermediaries should consider when working to reproduce social innovations in subsistence contexts and with subsistence user-producers. Practitioner Points • The article develops a theory of the reproduction of social innovations (SI) from the perspective of subsistence producer-users, noting how literacy, closely linked relationships, physicalities, and access to resources and knowledge can affect the reproduction process.
Economic Anthropology, 2019
Consumption Markets & Culture, 2018
Global gender asymmetries in marketing and consumer behavior were recently exemplified by the Tra... more Global gender asymmetries in marketing and consumer behavior were recently exemplified by the Transformative Gender Justice Framework (TGJF). The TGJF, however, lacks an explicit reference to power-an aspect that becomes apparent when it is used to assess a consumer phenomenology. In this article we augment the TGJF by building out the power logics and by empirically testing it through an assessment of the reproductive market in Uganda. We capture macro-, meso-, and micro-level power asymmetries, and explore how bio-power and control over resources melds with local gender relations and agentic practices that i) leave social marketing efforts misaligned with embodied realities, and ii) result in dichotomies and tensions in the reproductive health market as the North-South strive to define the modern-traditional, medical-pleasurable, and women-men nature of contraceptives.
Reproductive health, Jan 27, 2017
The management of menstruation has come to the fore as a barrier to girls' education attainme... more The management of menstruation has come to the fore as a barrier to girls' education attainment in low income contexts. Interventions have been proposed and piloted, but the emerging nature of the field means limited evidence is available to understand their pathways of effect. This study describes and compares schoolgirls' experiences of menstruation in rural Uganda at the conclusion of a controlled trial of puberty education and sanitary pad provision to elucidate pathways of effect in the interventions. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with schoolgirls who participated in the Menstruation and the Cycle of Poverty trial concurrent with the final set of quantitative surveys. A framework approach and cross-case analysis were employed to describe and compare the experiences of 27 menstruating girls across the four intervention conditions; education (n = 8), reusable sanitary pads (n = 8), education with reusable sanitary pads (n = 6), and control (n = 5). Themes inc...
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 2016
Routledge eBooks, May 31, 2024
The Journal of consumer affairs/The journal of consumer affairs, Mar 12, 2024
Business and Politics, Mar 1, 2023
Developments in marketing science: proceedings of the Academy of Marketing Science, 2023
Academy of Management Proceedings
The Journal of consumer affairs/The journal of consumer affairs, Apr 1, 2024
Journal of the Association for Consumer Research
Business and Politics
Legality of abortion has been one of the most controversial political initiatives in modern times... more Legality of abortion has been one of the most controversial political initiatives in modern times, which also impacts the healthcare delivery system especially for women. The debate often devolves into disagreement on either access to services on demand from healthcare providers or service refusal regardless of the circumstances. However, the reality is different from this bipolar conversation. Instead, it varies depending upon location of the potential abortion recipient and a host of factors associated with nation-states. Thus, our purpose is to reveal different legislative protocols that lead to or inhibit availability of this aspect of women's reproductive rights, and to empirically determine what are the underlying series of factors that drive these policy decisions. Together they reveal a complex mosaic of fundamental principles that are rarely considered when formulating public policy. We hope our research across nations will help healthcare providers and policy makers re...
Energy Research & Social Science
Gender, Work & Organization
Africa Journal of Management
Supplemental Material, sj-docx-1-ppo-10.1177_0743915620976563 for Across Time, Across Space, and ... more Supplemental Material, sj-docx-1-ppo-10.1177_0743915620976563 for Across Time, Across Space, and Intersecting in Complex Ways: A Framework for Assessing Impacts of Environmental Disruptions on Nature-Dependent Prosumers by Laurel Steinfield, Srinivas Venugopal, Samuelson Appau, Andres Barrios, Charlene Dadzie, Roland Gau, Diane Holt, Nguyen Thi Tuyet Mai and Clifford Shultz in Journal of Public Policy & Marketing
Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 2021
Environmental disruptions, such as extreme weather events or poisoning of natural resources, are ... more Environmental disruptions, such as extreme weather events or poisoning of natural resources, are increasing in frequency and intensity. These critical global problems demand market- and policy-based solutions. Adopting a Transformative Consumer Research perspective, this article examines the effects of environmental disruptions on the livelihoods of a very vulnerable group: nature-dependent prosumers. Nature-dependent prosumers often live in subsistence markets, but the impact of environmental disruptions on their lives can have repercussions throughout local and global systems. This article thus offers practitioners and researchers a framework, the “cross-scale intersectionality matrix” (CSIM), to better understand the differing impacts of environmental disruptions and envisage effective solutions. The CSIM reveals how environmental disruptions affect marketing systems’ exchanges of production and consumption (1) across multiple spatiotemporal scales, resulting in cross-scale impac...
Journal of Product Innovation Management, 2019
Social innovations and their diffusion are critical in bridging the multiplicity of deprivations ... more Social innovations and their diffusion are critical in bridging the multiplicity of deprivations experienced by those in subsistence contexts. Yet they often do not diffuse as expected. To better understand this prevalent problem, this article develops a theory of diffusion that explains the reproduction (duplication) of social innovations in subsistence contexts. The theory utilizes a bottom-up perspective that considers what attributes of innovations and capacities of actors matter to reproduction, particularly for subsistence user-producers. Adopting an inductive, case-based approach, the authors draw on examples of social innovations in sub-Saharan Africa. Based on the authors' research and extant literature, this article builds a typology that captures different modes of reproduction. The typology delineates three archetypes of reproduced social innovations: mimetic, facilitated, and complex, and notes how frugal innovations can emerge from these archetypes. These archetypes are based on the interactions of: (1) a product's resource and knowledge complexities, and (2) the knowledge capabilities or resources of various actors, including subsistence user-producers and bridging agents. The typology thus illuminates the conditions under which subsistence user-producers might independently reproduce a social innovation (mimetic innovations), when they need assistance from bridging agents (facilitated innovations), and when the mix of resources and knowledge are beyond their capacity (complex innovations). Moreover, by exploring reproduction experiences of subsistence users, this article recognizes the implications of low literary, close social networks, and physical limitations. By examining who controls the knowledge and resources imperative to reproduction, the authors go beyond a focus on the social benefits of innovations to consider how intellectual property and profits matter to different actors. This article pulls together these various insights and identifies key implications that social innovators and intermediaries should consider when working to reproduce social innovations in subsistence contexts and with subsistence user-producers. Practitioner Points • The article develops a theory of the reproduction of social innovations (SI) from the perspective of subsistence producer-users, noting how literacy, closely linked relationships, physicalities, and access to resources and knowledge can affect the reproduction process.
Economic Anthropology, 2019
Consumption Markets & Culture, 2018
Global gender asymmetries in marketing and consumer behavior were recently exemplified by the Tra... more Global gender asymmetries in marketing and consumer behavior were recently exemplified by the Transformative Gender Justice Framework (TGJF). The TGJF, however, lacks an explicit reference to power-an aspect that becomes apparent when it is used to assess a consumer phenomenology. In this article we augment the TGJF by building out the power logics and by empirically testing it through an assessment of the reproductive market in Uganda. We capture macro-, meso-, and micro-level power asymmetries, and explore how bio-power and control over resources melds with local gender relations and agentic practices that i) leave social marketing efforts misaligned with embodied realities, and ii) result in dichotomies and tensions in the reproductive health market as the North-South strive to define the modern-traditional, medical-pleasurable, and women-men nature of contraceptives.
Reproductive health, Jan 27, 2017
The management of menstruation has come to the fore as a barrier to girls' education attainme... more The management of menstruation has come to the fore as a barrier to girls' education attainment in low income contexts. Interventions have been proposed and piloted, but the emerging nature of the field means limited evidence is available to understand their pathways of effect. This study describes and compares schoolgirls' experiences of menstruation in rural Uganda at the conclusion of a controlled trial of puberty education and sanitary pad provision to elucidate pathways of effect in the interventions. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with schoolgirls who participated in the Menstruation and the Cycle of Poverty trial concurrent with the final set of quantitative surveys. A framework approach and cross-case analysis were employed to describe and compare the experiences of 27 menstruating girls across the four intervention conditions; education (n = 8), reusable sanitary pads (n = 8), education with reusable sanitary pads (n = 6), and control (n = 5). Themes inc...
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 2016
In Uganda, as women become more educated and employed, and as laws are enacted to protect their r... more In Uganda, as women become more educated and employed, and as laws are enacted to protect their rights, male economic power might be expected to erode. Ideologies, however, continue to uphold the gender hierarchies in this traditional patriarchal society. In rural communities, where traditional tribal laws are still practiced, women continue to be treated like property, traded for a bride-price as soon as they can bear children, or, if a widow, being inherited by her husband's family and forced to marry his male relative should she have no male children to provide for her. Women continue to submit to these laws for fear that they will be outcasts of society. The local model of domestic virtue continues to restrict a woman's role in the economy even in urban areas (Kyomuhendo and McIntosh (2006).
This advisory note is intended to foreground the gaps in the current approach to women economic e... more This advisory note is intended to foreground the gaps in the current approach to women economic empowerment measurements and assessments of interventions. It provides a summary of an extensive literature review of women empowerment, entrepreneurship, and employment studies, and pulls upon lessons learnt from research conducted with a pilot initiative, Walmart’s Empowering Women Together program. It recognizes how the field has evolved beyond the scope of the literature to incorporate new actors, namely corporates, and new forms of interventions that introduce complexities of a global marketplace. The results bring to the fore: a need to move beyond the growth-focused business metrics found in entrepreneurship and women-employment studies; a need for find common metrics that can transcend economic-states (i.e. developing versus developed countries) and disciplinary-based approaches (i.e. development studies versus women studies versus business studies), and a need to rethink the ‘theory of change’ to capture empowerment as a process that unfolds over time with positive and backward steps.
The Advisory Note is the last in a series of outputs coming out of the Walmart Empowering Women Together research project. There are also three case studies and one teaching case, all of which help to illustrate the reasons we questioned the advisability of certain current practices and measures. (Refer to the posted cases).
Scott, Linda, Paul Montgomery, Laurel Steinfield, Catherine Dolan and Sue Dopson (2013) Sanitary Pad Acceptability and Sustainability Study, Oct 2013
Women's economic empowerment as an imperative goal for societies to work towards has increasingly... more Women's economic empowerment as an imperative goal for societies to work towards has increasingly taken center-fold in the public policy domain; however, the ability to operationalize this goal and to measure whether " empowerment " is being achieved has become a challenge faced by the multitude of actors engaged in this space. This especially holds true for the growing contingency of corporations who seek to leverage their global reach to unlock access to markets. This paper explores the measurement challenges facing corporations that aim to economically empower women using market-based approaches. Based on an extensive literature review and critique of the women's economic empowerment literature, and the preliminary findings from a study conducted on a piloted corporate intervention (which endeavored to empower women-owned businesses by giving them access to a large retailer's consumer base), we note two important issues: (i) the theory of change underlying market-based economic empowerment initiatives holds faulty assumptions; (ii) these assumptions combined with a tendency to employ business metrics to measure economic empowerment have the potential to lead to missed opportunities, codify gender biases, and result in disempowerment if misinterpreted.
This special session combines three papers to explore the application of a transformative gender ... more This special session combines three papers to explore the application of a transformative gender justice framework that links social justice, capabilities approach, and recognition theory. Through this framework, scholars and policy makers can assess intersecting structural, agentic, and socio-cultural forces that underlie gender injustices. We apply the framework to three examples to demonstrate how gender injustices can arise inadvertently through policies and programs (family planning in Uganda), can be perpetuated through institutional structures that control representations (advertising agencies), and can create identity problems for men and women alike. The aim of this paper is to raise awareness of the roles markets and policy play in perpetuating and resolving gender injustices, and to present a framework that policy makers and marketers might use to work through the complexities and work towards resolutions for gender injustices.
This case study was developed as part of a research initiative undertaken by the University of Ox... more This case study was developed as part of a research initiative undertaken by the University of Oxford to develop measurements for evaluating the impact of Walmart's Empowering Women Together (EWT) program.
Maasai WoMen DevelopMent organisation (MWeDo), tanzania 2 About this research This case study was... more Maasai WoMen DevelopMent organisation (MWeDo), tanzania 2 About this research This case study was developed as part of a research initiative undertaken by the University of Oxford to develop measurements for evaluating the impact of Walmart's Empowering Women Together (EWT) program.
Global gender asymmetries in marketing and consumer behavior were recently exemplified by the Tra... more Global gender asymmetries in marketing and consumer behavior were recently exemplified by the Transformative Gender Justice Framework (TGJF). The TGJF, however, lacks an explicit reference to power—an aspect that becomes apparent when it is used to assess a consumer phenomenology. In this article we augment the TGJF by building out the power logics and by empirically testing it through an assessment of the reproductive market in Uganda. We capture macro-, meso-, and micro-level power asymmetries, and explore how bio-power and control over resources melds with local gender relations and agentic practices that i) leave social marketing efforts misaligned with embodied realities, and ii) result in dichotomies and tensions in the reproductive health market as the North-South strive to define the modern-traditional, medical-pleasurable, and women-men nature of contraceptives.
University of Oxford, 2013