Federal welfare programs have existed since the inception of the United States. These programs require recipients to demonstrate financial need relative to the federal poverty level (Government Benefits 2018). Locally based social programs follow a similar approach to federal welfare programs; individuals must demonstrate need based upon a standardized set of criteria for inclusion and for access to resources (Trattner 2007).
Eligibility guidelines for social programs, federal and local, revolve around acceptable norms for what constitutes “too little” in terms of material and economic wellbeing. Within this context, wellbeing refers to adequacy or security in material circumstances that make one feel human, as well as a consumption-based understanding of positive functioning (Burroughs and Rindfleisch 2002; Sen 1999; U.S. Census Bureau 2005).
Track Leaders
Stacey Menzel Baker received her Ph.D. from University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Currently a Professor of Marketing in Creighton University’s Heider College of Business, she studies consumer attachment, vulnerability, and resilience. Her research has been published by elite journals in her field and has been used by business to promote products and to design accessible servicescapes and by federal governments to help shape civil rights policies. Her research honors include Best Paper Awards in the Journal of Macromarketing and the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing. Professor Baker currently serves as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing and as the President of the Marketing and Society Special Interest Group (MASSIG) of the American Marketing Association.
Courtney Nations is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the University of North Florida. She earned her B.S. and M.S. degrees from Clemson University and her Ph.D. from the University of Wyoming. Her research interests include consumption and rites of passage, transformative service research, consumer vulnerability, and well-being issues related to individuals, communities, and the environment. Her work has been published in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, Consumption Markets & Culture, and the Journal of Macromarketing. She enjoys volunteering with Trinity Rescue Mission in downtown Jacksonville and membership in the Saint Johns County Beekeepers Association.
Aronté Marie Bennett is an Associate Professor of Marketing and the Associate Department Chair of the Marketing & Business Law Department at Villanova University. She received her BS and MBA from Florida A&M University, and her Ph.D. from New York University. Her research, which focuses on marketplace inclusion, brand image and corporate social responsibility, has been published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, the Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, the Journal of Consumer Affairs and the International Marketing Review. Away from campus, she volunteers with The Junior League of Philadelphia and Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Track Participants
- Aronté Marie Bennett, Villanova University
- Meredith Rhoads Thomas, Florida State University
