Institutional Factors That Affect Inclusive Businesses: The Case of Banana Cooperatives in the Magdalena Region (Colombia)

Abstract

Inclusive business as a model at the base of the pyramid is a relatively recent unit of study in academic literature. From the institutional perspective, businesses are affected by norms, processes, rules of moral and ethical behaviour, which have not been studied for the base of the pyramid in inclusive businesses, much less in agricultural cooperatives. The objective of this research is to identify institutional factors that can affect agribusiness inclusive models. In this research, agricultural cooperatives of banana production in the province of Magdalena, Colombia, are the unit of analysis to identify institutional factors. The method of review of institutional factors is the multiple cases (six banana cooperatives) with a simple unit using inductive analysis. The results show that institutional factors—both formal (certifications, quality standards, social responsibility policies and economic incentives) and informal (cooperation, improvement of quality of life, generation of social capital)—promote the development of inclusive businesses in cooperatives of the base of the pyramid. The research is a first step to show its potential replication in other agricultural industries and even in other economic sectors.