Is it Possible to Relate Credit Consumption to Well-being? Discursive Analyses Involving Low-Income Elderly Consumers.

de Rezende Pinto, Marcelo; de Almeida, Gustavo Tomaz

Goal: To understand how credit consumption can influence the well-being of low-income elderly people. Methodology/approach: The empirical research was divided into three stages: the first, an ethnography in a group of 120 elderly people; the second, consisting of individual interviews with representatives of credit providers; and the third, through life trajectories with 4 families, chosen from the initial 30 participants. The material was analyzed using Critical Discourse Analysis, as proposed by Norman Fairclough. Originality/relevance: The research sought to capture the intersectionality of problems related to credit, a theme that has only been addressed through public policies or instrumental financial education programs. Main results: The results indicate that the various actors involved in credit consumption (including the elderly themselves, their families and the credit providers) contribute to negatively affecting the well-being of these individuals. We also found that the elderly contribute to the naturalization of the harmful effects of credit, since they also reproduce reality in their discursive repertoires. Theoretical contributions: The study indicates that, through credit consumption, there are situations that jeopardize individual and collective well-being. Management contributions: The research shows that a dark side to marketing persists, strengthened by lobbying with public authorities, when low-income elderly people become the point of reference for credit-boosting practices.

LOW-income consumers; CRITICAL discourse analysis; OLDER people; GOVERNMENT policy; WELL-being

Revista de Ciências da Administração, 2024, Vol 26, Issue 66, p1

1516-3865

Academic Journal

10.5007/2175-8077.2024.e77376