Sababu and Contextual Transition Capacity: Social Capital as a Missing Barrier in Circular Economy Transitions among SMEs in Freetown, Sierra Leone
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54536/ajebi.v5i2.6838Keywords:
Circular Economy, Consumer Perception, Freetown, Global South, Relational Legitimacy, Sababu, SMEs, Social Capital, Transition CapacityAbstract
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are often seen as key players in promoting circular economy (CE) transitions, but most studies on CE barriers focus mainly on wealthy areas. This article develops a context-sensitive explanation of SME CE transition capacity in Freetown, Sierra Leone, combining desktop analysis with qualitative field materials from 20 marketplace actors (12 semi-structured interviews and two focus group discussions) and complementary online ethnographic observation of market discourse around CE by-products. Iterative thematic analysis generated three interlocking clusters of contextual transition capacity barriers: (1) Market competition and affordability: “CE products are for rich people”; (2) Consumer understanding of CE and by-products: cost, symbolism, and socio-cultural drivers; and (3) Sababu as a contextual barrier/enabler: social capital and market reciprocity. Sababu is theorised as contextual social capital, relational legitimacy embedded in identity, networks, and reputational pathways that structure consumer reciprocity and market access under conditions of high uncertainty and weak formal assurance mechanisms. SMEs that lacked sababu faced ongoing challenges with demand and being seen as legitimate, even if they had the right skills, investments, or unique products, while some SMEs with fewer traditional advantages were able to succeed through trust and support built on sababu. The article adds to the study of circular economy transitions by broadening the idea of “transition capacity” to include relational legitimacy as an informal support system that influences circular economy results in low-income, post-conflict urban areas, and it suggests ways for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to develop strategies and policies that create fair and inclusive circular markets.
Downloads
References
Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education (pp. 241–258). Greenwood Press.
Božič, K., & Dimovski, V. (2019). Business intelligence and analytics for value creation: The role of absorptive capacity. International Journal of Information Management, 46, 93–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2018.11.020
Cantú, A., Aguiñaga, E., & Scheel, C. (2021). Learning from failure and success: The challenges for circular economy implementation in SMEs in an emerging economy. Sustainability, 13(3), 1529. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031529
Corvellec, H., Stowell, A., & Johansson, N. (2021). Critiques of the circular economy. Journal of Industrial Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13187
Dey, et al. (2022). Adoption of circular economy practices in small and medium-sized enterprises: Evidence from Europe. International Journal of Production Economics. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2022.108496
Ellen MacArthur Foundation. (2013). Towards the circular economy, Vol. 1. Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Cowes.
Gilboa, S., Seger-Guttmann, T., & Mimran, O. (2019). The unique role of relationship marketing in small businesses’ customer experience. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.06.004
Gregson, N., Crang, M., Fuller, S., & Holmes, H. (2022). Interrogating the circular economy: The moral economy of resource recovery in the EU.
Hartley, K., van Santen, R., & Kirchherr, J. (2020). Policies for transitioning towards a circular economy: Expectations from the European Union (EU). Resources, Conservation and Recycling. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2019.104634
Hekkert, M., Suurs, R., Negro, S., Kuhlmann, S., & Smits, R. (2007). Functions of innovation systems: A new approach for analysing technological change. Technological Forecasting and Social Change. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2006.03.002
Kirchherr, J., et al. (2017). Conceptualizing the circular economy: An analysis of 114 definitions. Resources, Conservation and Recycling.
Landry, C. E., Lange, A., List, J. A., Price, M. K., & Rupp, N. G. (2005). Toward an understanding of the economics of charity: Evidence from a field experiment (Working Paper No. 11611). National Bureau of Economic Research. https://doi.org/10.3386/w11611
Leach, et al. (2022). Transforming innovation for sustainability. Ecology and Society. http://dx.doi.org/10.5751/ES-04933-170211
McCracken, G. (1986). Culture and consumption: A theoretical account of the structure and movement of the cultural meaning of consumer goods. Journal of Consumer Research, 13(1), 71–84. https://doi.org/10.1086/209048
Ritchie, J., & Lewis, J. (2003). Qualitative research practice—A guide for social science students and researchers. Sage Publications Ltd.
Saunders, B., Kitzinger, J., & Kitzinger, C. (2014). Anonymising interview data: challenges and compromise in practice. Qualitative Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468794114550439
Sharma, et al. (2020). The transition from linear economy to circular economy for sustainability among SMEs: A study on prospects, impediments, and prerequisites. Business Strategy and the Environment. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2717
Walford, G. (2018). The impossibility of anonymity in ethnographic research. Qualitative Research.
Weingrod, A. (1968). Patrons, patronage, and political parties. Comparative Studies in Society and History, 10(4), 377–400. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0010417500005004
Woolcock, M., & Narayan, D. (2000). Social capital: Implications for development theory, research, and policy. The World Bank Research Observer. https://doi.org/10.1093/wbro/15.2.225
Wurie, A. (2007). Education reconstruction in post-conflict Sierra Leone.
Yu, Y., & Wyness, M. (2023). Sierra Leone and Peace Education: A Case Study of Transportation Poverty in the Aftermath of Civil War. Journal of Peacebuilding & Development, 19(1), 61-77. https://doi.org/10.1177/15423166231211909 (Original work published 2024)
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Jeremiah Thoronka
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
