We argue that repugnance can, in some cases, be strategically used as a resource by some 'entrepreneurs' who can use it to advance their own goals. To understand the conditions in which repugnance can be strategically used, we first propose a conceptual framework to characterize repugnance-related transactions and emphasize how concerned individuals devise narratives to manage these situations, increase (or even decrease) artificially their acceptability, and ultimately justify their behaviour. This framework, which combines relational proximity and the strength of social consensus surrounding a transaction, allows for predicting the costs of developing appropriate narratives. Then, we analyse four rationales by which entrepreneurial individuals exploit and use strategically repugnant dimensions. Repugnance can be strategically leveraged as a barrier to entry, a tool for niche differentiation, a mechanism of political and market polarization, and a means of attracting attention, thereby shaping competition, regulation, and visibility across markets and platforms.

The Bootleggers and Baptists (B B) framework contends that enduring regulatory policies emerge when morally motivated actors (Baptists) provide ethical legitimacy, while economically motivated stakeholders (Bootleggers) discreetly support the measures to advance their own interests. Interestingly, this outcome depends on the support of both groups. We extend the public choice B B theory by showing that Bootleggers can, in some cases, operate without Baptists by using astroturfing—a deceptive practice that simulates grassroots support or public opinion to manipulate perceptions. We identify the conditions—specifically, the absence of genuine Baptists aligned with Bootleggers’ interests and a context dominated by Bootleggers—under which Bootleggers are more likely to fabricate Baptists. Using a transaction cost–inspired framework, we predict that Bootleggers decide whether to ‘make’ an astroturf group or ‘buy’ influence and legitimacy by partnering with genuine Baptists, depending on which arrangement minimizes their transaction costs. We then develop a strategic framework for understanding how Bootleggers tailor astroturfing efforts to manipulate public perception and simulate civic legitimacy.

Traditional policy research has largely focused on enhancing happiness or well-being, privileging positive outcomes as the primary metric of success. We argue that a systematic focus on the drivers of unhappiness-rather than solely on happiness-offers a complementary analytical framework that can uncover hidden societal deficits and broaden the repertoire of policy interventions. By foregrounding unhappiness, scholars and practitioners can identify latent demand, structural inequities, and unintended negative side effects that are often obscured in happiness-centric analyses. We first articulate why a shift away from predominantly happiness-driven policies is conceptually necessary, demonstrating that unhappiness signals distinct causal pathways and policy levers. Second, we explain how adopting an unhappiness lens can lead to different-and potentially better-policy outcomes. By integrating unhappiness into the policy toolkit, this paper expands the analytical horizon of scholars and offers policymakers actionable insights for more resilient, equitable, and responsive governance. We introduce several novel theoretical issues that provide a strong foundation for a research agenda on unhappiness and its policy implications. We also caution that misusing unhappiness-based arguments poses ethical risks and could exacerbate the very problems such arguments aim to address.

Effectuation is a means-driven approach where individuals leverage existing resources, focus on affordable loss, and form partnerships to navigate uncertain environments and create outcomes through flexible strategies rather than predetermined plans. An effectual stance encourages experimentalists to imagine and design new experiments using available means rather than seeking new means to achieve a predefined experiment. Experimentalists have often been trained to use a causation approach, but we argue that effectuation can help overcome resource constraints and initiate original experiments in unexpected directions. We support our insights with quotes and anecdotal evidence from experienced experimentalists and underline how experimentalists can learn to combine the best of both worlds. We also highlight unresolved issues and limitations of the effectuation approach, which should not be regarded as a universal cure.

While substantial attention has been devoted to psychological ownership (PO) in various management-related domains, we focus on PO-based interventions as practical and low-cost levers for encouraging environmental stewardship. After characterizing PO and its three psychological routes (namely, control, knowledge and self-investment), we propose a five-dimensional model for designing and evaluating sustainability interventions. This framework clarifies how PO can be intentionally leveraged to promote pro-environmental behavior at both local and global levels. PO-based interventions can be applied and adapted to a wide range of behaviors, encompassing the common distinctions between recurring and non-recurring actions, low- and high-investment efforts, and collective versus individual behaviors. This framework is particularly helpful for guiding the development and continual refinement of targeted sustainability interventions. We also outline key policy and managerial implications, showing how PO-based approaches can complement traditional tools-especially in contexts of budget constraints or regulatory deadlock. Finally, we address the potential 'dark side' of PO-such as territoriality and structural neglect-and propose directions for future research on how PO can be responsibly leveraged to address environmental challenges.

We describe the different possibilities that a protagonist has to start a process to raise rival’s costs (RRC). We present the general RRC mechanism and necessary conditions to make it successful. We also expose the strengths and weaknesses of RRC theory.

Research on positional concerns - i.e., preferences to having less of a given good but more than others - covered several domains such as income or social spending but housing related preferences have not attracted much academic attention. This neglect contrasts with anecdotal evidence regarding the importance of positional considerations in this domain. Thanks to a three-world survey data, we explore positional concerns in the housing related domain in Algeria (North Africa). Moreover, unlike previous literature, we tested an innovative hypothesis related to risky versus non-risky situations. Our results show that individuals mainly prefer having more (resp. less) in absolute terms of housing related goods (resp. bads), regardless of others. At the same time, a significant proportion of respondents have preferences for egalitarian and positional situations. Moreover, positional preferences are partly influenced by risk concerns.

While individuals are expected to perceive similarly identical quantities, regardless of the used units (e.g., 1 ton or 1000 kg), several scholars suggest that consumers over-infer quantities when they are presented in bigger and phonetically longer numbers. In two experimental studies, we examine this numerosity bias in the context of household food waste. Unlike previous scholars, manipulating numerosity revealed no effect: perceptions of food waste volume and likelihood to reduce it are not influenced by the used numeric value (2500 g vs. 2.5 kg; Study 1) nor the number of syllables (two kilos eight hundred seventy-five grams vs. three kilograms; Study 2).

Some researchers have provided evidence that contradicts the intuitive expectation that people perceive lower values expressed in a longer denomination (e.g., two dollars and eighty-five cents) as larger than higher values expressed in a shorter denomination (e.g., three dollars). Using an experimental survey of 637 respondents, we examine this bias in the context of messages about unemployment and inflation. Our results differ from previous research in that we found no evidence of this bias. Specifically, participants did not perceive the number of unemployed and the inflation rate as higher and more serious simply because they are presented in larger denominations. Our findings suggest that communication about these dimensions that relies on the potential of numerosity heuristics should be used cautiously.

Inspired from Kahneman’s seminal contributions to the theory of framing, we test the impact of noun- versus verb-based framings (e.g., do not be a polluter versus do not pollute) on individuals’ behavioral intentions towards two pro-environmental messages aiming at reducing waste. Using a non-incentivized laboratory experimental survey, we find a significant effect of messages framed as verb-based actions (i.e., do not pollute, do not waste) in driving individuals to sign a petition in favor of garbage recycling and accept to receive tips about food waste. Additionally, we also identify a significant negative influence of reactance, hampering pro-environmental behavior. We discuss our exploratory results keeping in mind the humility that characterizes Kahneman’s scholarly legacy.

This study investigates the extent to which people are subject to moral licensing in the environmental domain by examining moral dynamics at a disaggregated level. Using Giving and Taking games with environmental NGOs, we found that aggregate results hide important heterogeneity. Half of the participants engaged in compensatory behavior, with highly environmentally concerned individuals compensating more frequently. Men were more consistent than women, but when they adopted moral licensing, their compensation was significantly greater than that of women. These findings suggest opportunities for improving environmental policy effectiveness.

Purpose We examine whether individuals express positional and egalitarian preferences over macroeconomic indicators, addressing a gap in the literature, which has primarily focused on microeconomic variables, such as individual income, educational level, physical attractiveness and so on. Design/methodology/approach We use a survey experiment to test preferences for various macroeconomic indicators, including inflation, poverty, research and development (R&D) spending, unemployment, debt ratio, overall happiness and the global sustainability index. Findings While positional and egalitarian concerns play a significant role in some domains, previous studies may have overestimated positional concerns. A majority of respondents expressed strong egalitarian preferences for several macroeconomic indicators, challenging conventional economic theory. Practical implications Governments often use comparisons when communicating about macroeconomic indicators. Some countries overrely on rankings of various kinds. We urge them to pay more attention to the reductionist, simplistic and ideologically biased nature of these tools. A shift in policies and public narratives toward reducing societal well-being gaps and fostering shared progress may be needed, rather than a narrow focus on economic competition. Social implications Our results indicate that individuals may be more supportive of policies that improve conditions for all rather than those that enhance relative position, which has implications for the design and communication of economic policies. Originality/value This study extends the analysis of positional and egalitarian preferences to macroeconomic indicators, providing new insights into how individuals perceive national economic performance relative to other countries. It also employs a refined experimental survey to better estimate the relevance of relative standings by controlling for whether individuals choose positional options due to genuine relative standing concerns or non-monotonic preferences.

Using survey data on a large sample of European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), we examine the effect of entrepreneurship experience on environmental and social sustainability (ESS) in new companies. Estimations suggest that experienced entrepreneurs are more engaged in ESS compared to those without previous experience. This effect remains robust when considering ESS separately. However, our study reveals that the impact is primarily significant among those with specific types of prior experience, notably entrepreneurs who have previously closed one or more companies. The results highlight the complex relationship between entrepreneurial experience and sustainability orientation. Several managerial and policy implications are discussed.

Gender stereotypes frequently shape people's perceptions and expectations. This study explores whether the gender of street names affects perceptions of life quality and related aspects, such as rental fees. Through a scenario-based experiment, we examine if apartments on streets named after female personalities are perceived as more attractive regarding gender-related qualities compared to those on streets named after male counterparts. Our findings indicate no significant impact of street name gender on the likelihood of choosing a flat or the price respondents are willing to pay, and very small effects sizes for both variables. Similarly, the gender of street names has minimal influence on perceptions of life quality. Economic factors emerge as the primary determinants in flat selection but with small effects sizes. We discuss several policy and managerial implications based on these findings.

Using an original experimental survey, we analyze how people perceive punishments generated by artificial intelligence (AI) compared to the same punishments generated by a human judge. We use two vignettes pertaining to two different albeit relatively common illegal behaviors, namely not picking up one’s dog waste on public roads and setting fire in dry areas. In general, participants perceived AI judgements as having a larger deterrence effect compared to the those rendered by a judge. However, when we analyzed each scenario separately, we found that the differential effect of AI is only significant in the first scenario. We discuss the implications of these findings.

This study investigates trust of information technology (IT) professionals in artificial intelligence (AI), human experts, and their combination for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through a survey of IT project managers and frequent AI users across France, the United Kingdom, and Belgium, our findings reveal that respondents place significantly higher trust in human experts and combinations of AI and human expertise, compared to AI. Notably, individuals who most frequently use AI technology show stronger preference for human-AI collaborative approaches, suggesting that familiarity with AI leads to better understanding of its complementary role with human expertise. The study demonstrates that successful AI implementation for achieving SDGs requires careful integration with human oversight rather than standalone deployment.