ABSTRACT Emerging countries are populated with low-income consumers. Academics and corporations have paid little attention to studies that would provide light on consumer behavior in these countries. To accomplish this gap, the study aims to critically evaluate the existing literature to obtain themes using SPAR-4-SLR protocol. Major themes that emerged from the findings are consumer decision making, brand strategy, micro-macro environment, product adoption, and role of technology. The study provides theoretical and practical insights to understand and mitigate the impact of poverty in Bottom of the Pyramid (BOP) marketplaces, offering recommendations for marketing executives and decision-makers.

ABSTRACT Efforts to facilitate international remittances hold substantial potential to impact various dimensions of poverty, underscoring the importance of comprehending this relationship in developing economies. International remittances between Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries have shown a marked growth trajectory. Unlike other studies that focus on the impact of remittances on income-based poverty in developing countries, this research delves into a more comprehensive analysis of how remittances affect various facets of poverty. Therefore, this paper aims to estimate the broader global implications of international remittances on multidimensional poverty in selected BRI countries. This study applied Driscoll-Kraay and Fully Modified Ordinary Least Square estimators to evaluate international remittances’ impact on MPI in BRI countries between 2010 and 2022. The results reflected a significant effect on countries that have contributed to the Belt and Road Initiative, with its impact on MPI courtesy of political stability, international remittances, agricultural growth, and forest plantation. Besides, the results of the Granger causality indicated a bi-directional causal link between forest plantation and MPI and a uni-directional causal link between MPI and international remittance. Countries along the BRI should enact policies to attract more remittances and design strategies to reduce unemployment and poverty.

ABSTRACT The paper provides the different aspects of poverty associated with local governance through a systematic literature review. The literature is classified based on research questions about the three aspects of human development and its relation to poverty and local governance. The research questions are as follows: How education, health and standard of living are related to poverty, and how far is it addressed in a decentralized system of governance? The paper leaves a broad scope for future research in the decomposition analysis of each sector and the corresponding role of gram panchayats in addressing the issue in particular.

ABSTRACT The study examined whether monetary investment and parenting practices mediate the association between family and hardship and primary school achievement in a sample of Bangladeshi children (N = 1140; M age = 9.11, SD = .88 at baseline). The questionnaire method was used for data collection. The results from structural equation modeling suggested that although all factors partially mediated a predictor–outcome link, parenting practices explained a greater amount of variance in the associations with children’s poor achievement as compared with monetary investment after accounting for background factors. We discuss future directions for social policy and research.

ABSTRACT I examine the relationship between service-connected disability and poverty among veteran households using data from the 2009–2019 1-year American Community Survey. I find that service-connected disability is an important mechanism that helps veteran households avoid poverty. This is evidenced by a strong monotonic relationship whereby veteran households with the most severe service-connected disability have the lowest predicted likelihood of poverty. However, evidence suggests service-connected disability is associated with an increased likelihood of deep poverty among already impoverished households. Within this context, veteran households with the most severe service-connected disability have the highest predicted likelihood of deep poverty.

ABSTRACT Consumption practices represent a central mode of social integration. Yet, due to the lack of material resources poor households cannot meet the expectations of dominant consumer culture, thus facing limited choices and feelings of shame. Based on a qualitative long-term study of the welfare production of 40 poor Swiss households, this article sheds light on consumption patterns and experiences in different distribution systems, namely the primary market, the charity system, and redistribution systems for used goods. It shows that feelings of shame and processes of exclusion differ between distribution systems according to institutional features conducive to the (in)visibility of poverty.

ABSTRACT Most research studying financial behavior, including those studying the behavior of economically deprived sections, have ignored manual laborers. They are a segment that plays a significant role in economic development, but the lack of access to economic resources forces them to perform undesirable financial behaviors. Even though policymakers claim that removing stress in managing money is one way of achieving financial well-being, somehow, their financial empowerment has been overlooked in mainstream literature. This study aims to develop and validate a measure of financial behavior for the toiling class and to assess how different demographic segments vary in different dimensions of behavioral practices. An 18-item scale has been developed, taking input from several existing measures of financial behavior and considering the unique characteristics of the population. The behavioral attributes of 401 laborers were measured in Kerala, India. Factor analysis resulted in four components with coherent reliability. The alpha reliability of the whole scale was 0.864. A detailed analysis using demographic variables revealed that gender, age, and education are significant for most of the behavioral dimensions and overall financial behavior. The type of laborer was found to be significant for three behavioral dimensions. Other than providing a measure of financial behavior for students and researchers of economically deprived sections, a scale can help counselors, educators, and policymakers bring focused and constructive interventions into the lives of the poor.

ABSTRACT This study investigates the socio-economic impact of poverty on residents of Windhoek’s informal settlements: Havana, Ombili, and Single Quarters. Using a qualitative research design, data were collected through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with 72 participants. Key themes include scarcity of resources, health impacts, educational challenges, employment barriers, and coping mechanisms. Findings highlight severe deprivation due to inadequate sanitation, limited healthcare, and insufficient education, with employment challenges entrenched by reliance on the informal sector. Policy recommendations include enhancing infrastructure, healthcare, education, job creation, and community-based initiatives to alleviate poverty and improve quality of life in Windhoek.

ABSTRACT The study empirically examines the role of behavioral factors in the perpetuation of poverty through a comparison of the behavior of poor and nonpoor household members across five major dimensions. The study found evidence supporting the presence of suboptimal decision-making among poor in the surveyed region. The poor were found to indulge in irrational spending patterns and have higher present bias, risk-aversion, lower aspirations, lack of institutional trust, and gender bias than nonpoor persons. This becomes a cause of a vicious cycle of poverty. Targeting these problematic behavioral tendencies of poor individuals can help provide a low-cost solution for sustainable reduction of the magnitude of poverty.

ABSTRACT The paper examines how displacement has exacerbated poverty among internally displaced people (IDPs) in Nigeria. While there has been significant research on IDPs in Nigeria, studies specifically addressing the relationship between displacement and poverty are scarce. This survey was conducted in five locations: Tse Yandev in Benue State, Durumi Area One in Abuja, Rann in Borno State, Nbyiro in Adamawa State, and Government Lodge in Yobe State. Twenty five informants were purposively selected for the study, and thematic analysis was employed. The findings reveal a high incidence of poverty among IDPs due to their lack of access to basic necessities such as shelter, food, and clothing. It was gathered that people become dislocated when they are internally displaced. This condition has heightened the poverty situation that many in Nigeria find themselves in. It was also established that dislocation never left anyone the same. Rather, it either makes them poorer or simply makes their condition worse. Recommendations are also provided for addressing these challenges.