Collaborative Environments in Inherently Fragile Ecosystems

L. Lin Ong, Melati Nungsari and Charu Agarwal

Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 2026, vol. 11, issue 1, 78 - 94

Abstract: This article introduces the theoretical concept of fragile ecosystems, a framework for understanding turbulent environments where collaborative efforts are essential to driving social change. While the ecosystem concept is commonly used in the management literature to describe collaboration, a fragile ecosystem is characterized by high rates of population turnover, creating internal instability. Within the global refugee crisis, ecosystem fragility arises from the continual movement of displaced individuals into and out of transitory countries, as well as the precarious commitments of collaborative organizations. Drawing on a novel longitudinal data set of in-depth interviews with female refugee entrepreneurs and a year of embedded nongovernmental organization (NGO) observations, this article explores how fragile ecosystems can offer unique opportunities for prosocial progress. As human displacement increases, stakeholders face escalating demands, and resettlement opportunities shrink, understanding fragile ecosystems is essential to rethinking our approach to global crises.

Date: 2026
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