ABSTRACT
Although in affluent countries a large part of the population enjoys high standards of living including various aspects such as education, health system, working conditions and consumption, there is a bottom tier of people that have been left behind. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations distinctly require states, business and civil society worldwide to strive for equality, well-being and development for all, and to cross existing divides. Against this challenge, the Base of the Pyramid (BOP) concept (although originally addressing people in extreme and moderate poverty in emerging and developing countries) could facilitate various actors and actor groups joining forces for lifting population segments out of poverty and deprivation, and hence may be fruitful in an affluent country context as well. In this environment, charities seek to alleviate the worst immediate effects of misery. However, business, civil society and governments, and individuals formerly belonging to this segment also have a decisive role to play by helping resource-poor and disadvantaged people grasp opportunities to achieve sustainable improvement of their situation, societal inclusion, or more metaphorically, thriving and flourishing. In this chapter, we scrutinise the concept of BOP and in how far it may be applied for people in affluent countries, who are also poor, disadvantaged, vulnerable and working in the informal economy. We survey the literature on BOP and neighbouring concepts in affluent countries and highlight the current conversations and debates, as well as identifying promising avenues for future research. To enrich our understanding of the phenomenon of the BOP in affluent countries, we present three interviews with experts who discuss the challenges and opportunities of the BOP in wealthy nations.
