Dr Kathy Hamilton from the Department of Marketing is organiser of an ESRC seminar series on Consumer Vulnerability, co-hosted by Dr Susan Dunnett (University of Edinburgh) and Professor Maria Piacentini (University of Lancaster). The fifth seminar in the series was held at Strathclyde Business School on March 7 and focused on issues related to poverty.
The central aims of the series are to provide a space to critically engage with the notion of consumer vulnerability in order to promote dialogue and interchange between researchers, practitioners and policy makers; and to create a supportive forum through which to foster methodological good practice.
Vulnerability is not necessarily experienced as a permanent state and can often be felt in times of transition - job loss, bereavement, ill health, natural disaster, ageing, and the identity and the lifestyle shift required in becoming a parent. These conditions and characteristics affect how individuals experience, interpret and respond to the marketplace and often how the marketplace responds to them.
Dr Hamilton said, "The day was inspiring and thought-provoking, with presentations that generated significant discussion amongst attendees."
First speaker of the day was Dr Katherine Trebeck, a research and policy advisor in Oxfam's global Research Team. Katherine's presentation considered the macro context of consumer vulnerability, exploring a broken economy, inequalities and a failing social safety net. Katherine explained the findings of Oxfam's Humankind Index for Scotland to put forward an alternative approach and consider what priorities people in Scotland have for their communities.
The second speaker was Dr Elaine Chase from the Oxford Institute of Social Policy, University of Oxford. Elaine presented findings from an ESRC/DFID funded project, "Poverty, Shame and Social Exclusion: A study in seven countries". The work demonstrates that refocusing the debate away from measures of material deprivation towards the psychological and social consequences of poverty provides new insights into how poverty is perpetuated.
Dr Luca Visconti from ESCP Europe, Paris campus, was the third speaker of the day. Luca's presentation was based around the question of whether poor consumers experience poor consumption. Amongst other things, the presentation explored findings from a research project on homelessness.
The programme ended with a panel discussion that included more practical examples of responses to poverty. Sara Bryson, Policy & Business Development Officer at Children North East, spoke about a recent initiative called Poverty Proofing the School Day. Lisa Glass, who currently works with an Edinburgh-based charity, drew on her experiences of working with vulnerable communities experiencing poverty, homelessness, financial exclusion and blood-borne viruses. Dr Alia Weston, Department of Strategy and Organisation, reflected on her research on the creative and entrepreneurial activities of disenfranchised communities, including those facing severe poverty in Africa.
Dr Hamilton added, "Overall we are delighted that so many people came together to discuss an important issue and explore how consumer culture impacts experiences of poverty across a range of sociocultural contexts. The seminar series has highlighted the importance of forging links with relevant third sector or public policy organisations so that research can become practical, meaningful and relevant."