Research | Leandro S. Pongeluppe

Research Interests

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Stakeholder Management, Non-market Strategy, Mixed Methods, and Global South.

Research Program

My research is organized around three pillars, each tied to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Aerial drone view of the border between the Rocinha favela and the Gávea neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro: dense rooftops on one side, houses with pools among trees on the other — Photo: Johnny Miller / Unequal Scenes

Poverty and Inequality

I study how firms, nonprofits, and governments shape opportunity in communities marked by poverty and inequality. Much of this work takes place in Brazilian favelas, where I combine fieldwork and interviews with field experiments and administrative data to understand how organizations operate in disadvantaged places. I also study how public interventions in favelas reshape the organizational life of these communities. Throughout, I focus on the stakeholders these organizations affect and on who gains access to economic opportunity.

Floor of a cacao agroforest near Altamira, Pará, in the Brazilian Amazon, with seedlings among fallen leaves and tree trunks behind — Photo: Leandro S. Pongeluppe

Climate Change

I study how organizations and their stakeholders protect ecosystems while creating economic value for local communities. In the Amazon rainforest, I work with firms, cooperatives, and communities that manage forest and river resources, such as non-timber forest products and the pirarucu fish. I also study the oceans, including who promotes desalination technologies and what footprint desalination leaves on marine environments. I pair satellite data with fieldwork to connect global patterns to choices made on the ground.

A health worker in a face mask logs in to the National EMR touchscreen at an HIV clinic in Malawi, with a barcode scanner and label printer beside her — Photo: Abdallah Chilungo

Healthcare and Security

I study how organizations deliver healthcare to the hardest-to-reach populations and how they operate amid insecurity. In healthcare, I examine electronic medical records in HIV/AIDS clinics in Malawi, roadside clinics along African transport corridors, and how the burden of the Zika epidemic fell across racial groups in Brazil. In security, I study how terrorism shapes where multinational corporations operate around the world and how climate conditions such as drought relate to terrorism, using a global grid that links each place to its surroundings.

Working Papers

Poverty and Inequality

Event-study plot of the log number of formal jobs in favelas before and after a UPP arrived, estimated with five staggered difference-in-differences estimators — The design: a staggered difference-in-differences event study of formal jobs in favelas around the arrival of a UPP, with five estimators.

Not from Ipanema: Security Interventions and Organizational Life in Brazilian Favelas

in collaboration with Daphne Coelho, Aline Gatignon, and Sérgio Lazzarini.

First round at Organization Science.

We study the Pacifying Police Units (UPPs), a large-scale security program that the state of Rio de Janeiro rolled out across its favelas. Combining interviews with panel data on formal organizations and jobs, we compare favelas that received a UPP with favelas that did not.

Diagram of individual well-being against initial endowment, with a deprivation zone, a newly emancipated range, and an emancipation zone — The second lever: the deprivation zone and the emancipation zone of stakeholder governance.

Internalizing and Emancipating: A Dialogical Theory of Stakeholder Governance

Submitted to Academy of Management Review.

This conceptual paper treats the organization as a nexus of relationships with the stakeholders it affects. Drawing on transaction cost economics, the capability approach, and Paulo Freire's pedagogy, it develops a theory of stakeholder governance built on two levers, internalizing externalities and emancipating stakeholders, connected through dialogue.

Event-study plot of the number of images of women and of men per corporate report, 2012 to 2022, with 2016 as the reference year — The design: an event study of the images of women and men in corporate reports, 2012 to 2022, with 2016 as the reference year.

Did the #MeToo Movement Change the Face or the Picture of Corporate America?

in collaboration with Michelle A. Borges, Aldo Musacchio, Rodrigo Wagner, and Marcelo Orellana.

Working paper.

We study how large U.S. public companies portrayed and staffed their leadership before and after the #MeToo movement began in October 2017. We combine computer-vision analysis of the images in corporate reports with data on executives and boards in an event-study design.

Climate Change

World map of countries shaded by the number of desalination plants with public and private clients, with a three-by-three color legend — The setting: countries shaded by the number of desalination plants built for public and for private clients.

Leviathan as A Client: Public versus Private Promotion of Desalination Technologies to Address Water Scarcity

in collaboration with Ilze Kivleniece and Sérgio Lazzarini.

Second round at Strategic Management Journal. Best Proposal Award, Strategic Management Society, Cooperative Strategies Interest Group, 2023.

We compare how public and private clients commission desalination plants and which technologies they choose to address water scarcity. Using global data on desalination plants since the 1950s together with historical drought data, we examine these choices across countries with different levels of institutional development.

A fisher carrying a large pirarucu on the shoulders along a forest path in the Brazilian Amazon, with a second fisher behind him — The setting: fishers carrying a pirarucu out of the floodplain in a sustainable-use reserve in the Brazilian Amazon.

Multiple Stakeholders, One Purpose: Value Creation and Distribution by Protecting Biodiversity in the Amazon

in collaboration with Elis Regina Monte Feitosa and Maria Sylvia Macchione Saes.

Second round at Academy of Management Perspectives.

We study the community-based management of the pirarucu, a giant Amazonian fish, in two sustainable-use reserves in the Brazilian Amazon, the RDS Mamirauá and the RESEX Médio Juruá. Drawing on fieldwork with community associations and their partners, we examine how value is created and distributed among multiple stakeholders when protecting biodiversity is the shared purpose.

Three world maps of ocean surface conditions, two on top and one centered below: (a) salinity in parts per thousand, (b) sea surface temperature in degrees Celsius, and (c) chlorophyll-a concentration in milligrams per cubic meter, each with its own color scale — The ocean conditions we track: global maps of (a) surface salinity, (b) sea surface temperature, and (c) chlorophyll-a concentration, 2015 Q4.

Global Footprint of Desalination in the Oceans

in collaboration with Xinni Wu, Ilze Kivleniece, Sérgio Lazzarini, and Hugo N. Ulloa.

Submitted to Nature Sustainability.

We study the environmental footprint of desalination plants on the surrounding oceans worldwide. We link the locations and start dates of desalination plants to satellite measurements of ocean conditions, such as salinity, sea surface temperature, and chlorophyll, in a staggered difference-in-differences design.

Healthcare and Security

Ilula Mtua Wellness Centre, a blue North Star Alliance roadside clinic in Africa — The setting: a North Star Alliance roadside wellness centre.

Stakeholder Architecture under Resource Constraints: A Configurational Approach to Healthcare Provision in Sub-Saharan Africa

in collaboration with Aline Gatignon, Julien Clément, and Luk N. Van Wassenhove.

Working paper.

We study North Star Alliance, an NGO that runs roadside clinics offering HIV/AIDS and other health services to truck drivers and other high-risk populations along transport corridors in sub-Saharan Africa. Using qualitative and survey data from its clinics, we apply fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to compare the configurations of stakeholder relationships behind each clinic's healthcare delivery.

Two panels: (a) map of Brazilian municipalities shaded by the microcephaly rate per 10,000 live births in 2016, with Pernambuco outlined; (b) bar chart of recorded Zika cases by epidemiological week, 2016 to 2019 — The setting: (a) microcephaly rate per 10,000 live births by municipality, 2016, Pernambuco outlined (SINASC/DATASUS, ICD-10 Q02); (b) recorded Zika cases by epidemiological week, 2016 to 2019 (SINAN).

Who Bears the Epidemic?

in collaboration with Carlos Inoue.

Working paper.

We study the Zika epidemic in Brazil and how its burden was distributed across racial groups of mothers and newborns. Using national birth records in an event-study design, we compare white and Black or Brown mothers before and after the outbreak, and across public (SUS) and private care.

World map of one-degree grid cells shaded by the fraction of years from 1993 to 2020 with at least one terrorist attack, above a bar chart of the yearly number of attacks — The setting: one-degree grid cells worldwide, shaded by the fraction of years from 1993 to 2020 with at least one terrorist attack, and the yearly number of attacks.

Grid-Cells, Terrorism, and Multinational Corporations

in collaboration with Leandro Nardi.

Submitted to Strategic Management Journal.

We map terrorist attacks and multinational subsidiaries onto a worldwide grid of one-degree cells observed every year for almost three decades. Using panel models with spatial corrections, we examine how attacks inside a cell and in its surroundings relate to where multinational corporations locate.

Two world maps side by side for SSP5-8.5, 2041 to 2060: (A) projected change in December SPEI-12, in standard deviations of each cell's 1991-2020 distribution, brown for drier and green for wetter; (B) projected change in the annual probability of at least one terrorist attack, in percentage points, red for higher and blue for lower — Projected drought conditions (change in December SPEI-12) and predicted change in the probability of terrorist attacks under SSP5-8.5, 2041-2060, ensemble median of 16 CMIP6 models.

The Influence of Climate Change on Terrorism

in collaboration with Leandro Nardi.

Working paper.

We combine a worldwide grid of one-degree cells with yearly measures of water balance, from drought to unusually wet conditions, and records of terrorist attacks over three decades. Using panel models with spatial corrections, we examine how climate conditions in a cell and in its neighborhood relate to terrorism.

Published Papers

International Journals

Derksen, L., McGahan, A. M., & Pongeluppe, L. S. (Forthcoming). The Lifesaving Impact of Electronic Medical Records for HIV Patients. Review of Economics and Statistics. Published online October 2025. PDF DOI

We study the replacement of paper-based patient files with electronic medical records in HIV clinics in Malawi. An event study of clinic records shows that the new systems improved patient retention and reduced AIDS deaths, mainly through efficiency gains in managing patient data.

Xuan, D., Hsieh, M. A., Pongeluppe, L. S., Weaver, M. M., Mann, M. E., Jerolmack, D. J., & Ulloa, H. N. (2026). Climate extremes and urbanization drive flood tipping points at the city-river interface. npj Natural Hazards. 3, Article 20. PDF DOI

Using Hurricane Ida's 2021 flood of the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, we build a street-resolving flood model that combines LiDAR terrain, river bathymetry, and land use across the watershed. Scenario simulations then show how extreme rainfall, tides, and sea-level rise push the city toward a flood tipping point.

Pongeluppe, L. S. (2026). Timothy Kuhn. What Do Corporations Want? Communicative Capitalism, Corporate Purpose, and a New Theory of the Firm. Administrative Science Quarterly. 71(2). Book Review. PDF DOI

A review of Timothy Kuhn's book, which develops a communication-based theory of the firm in which corporations are not unitary actors but shifting constellations of people and practices. The review discusses what this view offers to organizational researchers and strategic management scholars.

Etzion, D., Baudoin, L., Pongeluppe, L. S., Callery, P. J., Lancaster, C. A., & Panwar, R. (2026). Good Data, Good Questions: Leveraging Comprehensive, Direct-Observation Data Sets for Impactful Research on Organizations and the Environment. Organization & Environment. 39(1): 112-139. PDF DOI

Research on organizations and the natural environment often relies on self-reported corporate data of uncertain accuracy. This essay identifies accessible, high-accuracy data sets from the natural sciences, such as satellite observations, forensic genetics, and hydrological maps, and sets out roadmaps and research questions for using them.

Lazzarini, S. G., Boehe, D. M., Pongeluppe, L. S., & Cook, M. L. (2026). The Normative Core of Relational Stakeholder Strategies: Explaining Open Buyer-Supplier Relations in the Context of the Amazon Rainforest. Business Ethics Quarterly. 36(1): 69-111. PDF DOIDistinguished Paper Award in Cooperative Strategy at the 80th Academy of Management Annual Meeting.

An in-depth case study of Natura, a Brazilian cosmetics company that sources natural inputs from Amazon communities through supplier relations open to multiple buyers, including competitors. The study shows how a morally informed normative core, shaped by the company's controlling shareholders, sustained this open relational strategy.

Cordeiro, G. S., Arvate, P. R., Story, J., & Pongeluppe, L. S. (2025). Heroes or Villains? Agribusiness Leaders in the Amazon Region. Academy of Management Discoveries. 11(1): 17-38. PDF DOIAcademy of Management Discoveries Best Paper Award 2025 (Runner-up), 2026.

We study mayors of municipalities in the Brazilian Amazon from 2004 to 2016 and compare those with a background in agribusiness to other mayors. A regression discontinuity design on close elections examines new firm creation and deforestation in their municipalities.

Pongeluppe, L. S. (2024). The Allegory of the Favela: The Multifaceted Effects of Socioeconomic Mobility. Administrative Science Quarterly. 69(3): 619-654. PDF DOIWinner Best Conference PhD Paper Prize at the Strategic Management Society 40th Annual Conference. Winner of the Administrative Science Quarterly Dissertation Award 2025.

A randomized controlled trial of a business training program for residents of Brazilian favelas, complemented by quantile regressions, field visits, and interviews. The study shows that training raised participants' income, while their economic progress also exposed them to more favela stigma.

McGahan, A. M., & Pongeluppe, L. S. (2023). There Is No Planet B: Aligning Stakeholder Interests to Preserve the Amazon Rainforest. Management Science. 69(12): 7860-7881. PDF DOIWilliam F. Glueck Best Paper Award at the 81st Academy of Management Annual Meeting. Best Paper Award at the 13th Alliance for Research on Corporate Sustainability Annual Conference. Best Paper Award at the 17th Annual Social Entrepreneurship Conference. Honorable Mention for the Best Paper Prize at the Strategic Management Society 41st Annual Conference. Responsible Research in Management Award, Micro Area, 2025.

We study how Natura, a Brazilian cosmetics company, sources forest products from rural Amazonian communities, combining fieldwork with satellite data on forest cover and fires across municipalities. A difference-in-differences design, with an instrument based on the missing satellite images Natura used to choose where to enter, ties Natura's entry to forest preservation.

Pongeluppe, L. S. (2022). The Favela Effect: Spatial Inequalities and Firm Strategies in Disadvantaged Urban Communities. Strategic Management Journal. 43(13): 2777-2808. PDF DOIBest Paper Award at the 12th Annual Ivey/Alliance for Research on Corporate Sustainability PhD Sustainability Academy. Responsible Research in Management Award, Macro Area, 2025.

I study how e-commerce firms serve customers inside Brazilian favelas compared with customers just outside their borders. Mixed methods, combining data on product availability and delivery prices with interviews and fieldwork, show why some firms treat favela consumers more equitably than their competitors.

Mesquita, L. F., Saes, M. S. M., Lazzarini, S. G., & Pongeluppe, L. S. (2021). Can trust induce vertical integration? An experimental study of buyer–seller exchanges with distinct competencies and specific investments. Industrial and Corporate Change. 30(3): 778-798. PDF DOI

A laboratory experiment in which players choose between markets and hierarchies when exchanges require specific investments and the parties hold distinct competencies. The study tests whether trust can lead parties toward vertical integration, not only toward market exchange.

Lazzarini, S. G., Pongeluppe, L. S., Ito, N. C., Oliveira, F. D. M., & Ovanessoff, A. (2020). Public Capacity, Plural Forms of Collaboration, and the Performance of Public Initiatives: A Configurational Approach. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory. 30(4): 579-595. PDF DOI

A comparative study of 24 public initiatives in Brazil, India, and South Africa with high and low performance for their target populations. Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis identifies the combinations of public capacity, collaborations, and stakeholder orientation behind high performance.

Monteiro, G. F. A., Yeung, L. L. T., Caleman, S. M. Q., & Pongeluppe, L. S. (2019). Indigenous land demarcation conflicts in Brazil: Has the Supreme Court’s decision brought (in)stability? European Journal of Law and Economics. 48(2): 267-290. PDF DOI

We study property rights conflicts between Indigenous peoples and rural farmers in Brazil's Midwest, using cases heard by a regional federal court between 1999 and 2013. Qualitative comparative analysis examines whether a landmark 2009 Supreme Court decision brought stability to how lower-court judges decided these cases.

Narsalay, R., Pongeluppe, L. S., & Light, D. (2015). The Hidden Pitfalls of Inclusive Innovation. Stanford Social Innovation Review. Winter: 47-53. PDF SSIR

Drawing on cases of inclusive innovation in emerging markets, the article examines why new products and services for low-income customers often fail to scale. It outlines the pitfalls business leaders should anticipate and how to avoid them.

Brazilian Journals

Ito, N. C., & Pongeluppe, L. S. (2020). The COVID-19 outbreak and the municipal administration responses: resource munificence, social vulnerability, and the effectiveness of public actions. RAP. Revista de Administração Pública. 54(4): 782-838. PDF DOI

We study the actions that the city halls of 52 Brazilian municipalities took in the first month after their first confirmed COVID-19 case. Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis identifies the combinations of local conditions and public actions associated with lower transmission in that initial stage.

Monteiro, G. F. A., Caleman, S. M. Q., & Pongeluppe, L. S. (2019). Firm Performance and the Strategic Components of Bankruptcy Reorganization Plans. BAR. Brazilian Administration Review. 16(4): e190072. PDF DOI

We study the bankruptcy reorganization plans that publicly traded companies in Brazil submitted to the courts. Qualitative comparative analysis links the strategic content of these plans, such as the diagnosis of the crisis and the firm's resources, to the firm's later performance.

Pongeluppe, L. S., & Saes, M. S. M. (2014). Ambiente institucional e compra de terras por estrangeiros em países em desenvolvimento. RAUSP Revista de Administração da Universidade de São Paulo. 49(1): 9-17. PDF DOI

Grounded in New Institutional Economics, we study land acquisitions by foreign investors in developing countries. Using secondary data from international organizations, we relate foreign direct investment to investment freedom, property rights, and corruption in the host countries.

Pongeluppe, L. S., Abdul-hak, G. S., & Carvalho, C. E. (2013). O Brasil na Reunião Ministerial de Agricultura da OCDE, Fevereiro de 2010. Pesquisa & Debate. Revista do Programa de Estudos Pós-Graduados em Economia Política, 24(1(43)): 137-151. PDF

We analyze Brazil's position, as an enhanced-engagement observer, at the OECD Agriculture Ministerial Meeting of February 2010. Ranking the main issues in seven thematic dimensions, we use multidimensional scaling to compare Brazil with the other participants.

Book Chapters

Lazzarini, S. G., Cabral, S., Pongeluppe, L. S., Ferreira, L. C. D. M., & Rotondaro, A. (2021). The Best of Both Worlds? Impact Investors and Their Role in the Financial Versus Social Performance Debate. In: Lehner (Ed.), A Research Agenda for Social Finance. Edward Elgar Publishing. DOI

This chapter examines the role of impact investors in the debate over financial versus social performance. It discusses how impact investors can pursue both kinds of returns and sets out questions for research on social finance.

Boehe, D. M., Pongeluppe, L. S., & Lazzarini, S. G. (2014). Natura and the Development of a Sustainable Supply Chain in the Amazon Region. In: Liberman, Garcilazo, and Stal (Eds.), Multinationals in Latin America: Case Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, London. p. 49-71. DOI

A case study of Natura, the Brazilian cosmetics company, and how it built a sustainable supply chain with communities in the Amazon region. The chapter follows the company's sourcing model and its relationships with local suppliers.

Pongeluppe, L. S., Moron, C. R., & Lazzarini, S. G. (2014). The Pulp and Paper Industry: The Case of Klabin Company and Orsa Group. In: Ménard, Saes, Silva, and Raynaud (Eds.), Challenges to Economic Organization: Plural Forms. Atlas, São Paulo. p. 185-199.

A comparative case study of two Brazilian pulp and paper companies, Klabin and Orsa Group, and how they organize their wood supply. The chapter uses the lens of plural forms, in which firms make and buy the same input at the same time.