Understanding charity markets in emerging markets: an ethnographic analysis of hybrid civic economies
JOURNAL OF MARKETING MANAGEMENT, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus)
- Publication Type: Article / Article
- Publication Date: 2026
- Doi Number: 10.1080/0267257x.2026.2733457
- Journal Name: JOURNAL OF MARKETING MANAGEMENT
- Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Periodicals Index Online, ABI/INFORM, Public Affairs Index, Business Source Ultimate (EBSCO), Sociology Source Ultimate (EBSCO)
- Anadolu University Affiliated: Yes
Abstract
Charity markets-temporary, volunteer-driven marketplaces organised by non-profit organisations-remain under-theorised despite their growing importance in contemporary fundraising. Drawing on multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork in T & uuml;rkiye, this study examines how charity markets are assembled, coordinated, and sustained under institutional incompleteness. Based on interviews, participant observation, and documentary analysis, the study develops 12 interrelated organisational mechanisms explaining how these markets mobilise heterogeneous actors, generate legitimacy, and coordinate morally embedded exchange. Findings show that charity markets rely on relational governance, volunteer labour, symbolic communication, adaptive innovation, digital coordination, and shared norms to sustain participation despite their temporary character. By conceptualising charity markets as temporary market systems embedded in emerging-market contexts, the study extends moral economy scholarship and advances understanding of non-profit market formation under institutional fragmentation.