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Guest Editor

1. Department of Social Psychology, London School of Economics, London WC2A 2AE, UK
2. Paris Institute for Advanced Study, 75004 Paris, France
Interests: public policy; governance and evaluation; behavioural change; societal psychology; complexity
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Production and consumption are two faces of the same coin: consumers will consume what is on offer, while innovators and producers will try to respond to demand. This chicken and egg problem blocks the transition to a sustainable economy. How can we create a viable path from the current state to a more sustainable one; a path enabling current businesses to transition while staying afloat? This requires redesigning carefully the “business”, keeping the users/consumers satisfied, and other stakeholders as well, while gradually changing what creates negative externalities.

In the line of the “installation theory” school of thought at the London School of Economics, this issue shows the way for a pragmatic approach to changing the world for a better place, anchored in a systematic approach of business redesign, informed by consumer psychology. It provides examples of what can be done, with concrete examples, to channel consumer behavior by combining actions targeting three determinants of consumer behavior: material design, embodied practices and social regulation. This approach can help redesign existing businesses or create new ones that address issues of sustainability.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Saadi Lahlou
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Keywords

consumer satisfaction
business models
sustainable economy

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable Death? Promoting Adoption of Green Passing

Anne Charlotte Forstmann

George Edward Martin

Mariafernanda Valdez Orezzoli

Jia Ying (Gloria) Xu

and

Maxi Heitmayer

Sustainability 2023, 15(5), 4082; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15054082 - 23 Feb 2023

Viewed by 667

Abstract

Death practices are a highly individual and sensitive, but also strongly social and socially regulated issue. Passing rituals and types of burials have developed over centuries, and their significant environmental cost is rarely discussed. In this paper, we propose an intervention that aims to open up the conversation about green passing practices and help reduce the environmental impact of current death practices in the United Kingdom. We used the multilayered installation design approach, leveraging activity theory and installation theory to identify relevant stakeholders and entry points for intervention. We then developed a holistic intervention strategy subsumed under the green passer Initiative, which proposes intervention into burial practices at the physical, social, and embodied level. We illustrate the intervention strategy with three ideal-type journeys of future green passers and outline relevant implications for policy makers, researchers, and the general public. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Consumer Satisfaction and Changing Business Models for a Sustainable Economy)

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Open AccessArticle

Installations for Civic Culture: Behavioral Policy Interventions to Promote Social Sustainability

and

Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 3825; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043825 - 20 Feb 2023

Viewed by 583

Abstract

Achieving more equitable, safer, and resilient societies—crucial dimensions of social sustainability—depends on durable transformations in people’s behavior. Traditional policy interventions attempt to influence people’s behavior in different ways, such as increased policing, fines, or awareness campaigns, but often have limited effects because they fail to systematically address local determinants of behavior. In this paper, we analyze two complex behavioral policy interventions to illustrate how installation theory can provide a framework to systematically analyze and design for large-scale behavioral change to support social sustainability. We focus on two of Antanas Mockus’ iconic “civic culture” interventions to reduce deaths in traffic accidents and domestic violence in Colombia. To study them, we collected intervention reports, citizens’ narratives, creators’ accounts and press articles to identify their main characteristics and behavioral techniques. In our results, we find that the civic culture approach used in these two interventions addresses physical, psychological and social determinants of behavior in ways that reduce reactance and promote mutual regulation and collective agency. By unraveling the essential factors of behavioral influence, installation theory and related frameworks provide a useful guide to structure, analyze and report interventions that address the behavioral components of social sustainability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Consumer Satisfaction and Changing Business Models for a Sustainable Economy)

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Open AccessArticle

Understanding the Continuance Intention of Omnichannel: Combining TAM and TPB

Hyo Geun Song

and

Hyeon Jo

Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 3039; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043039 - 07 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 533

Abstract

Nowadays, consumers use information devices to use products and services through various channels. Omnichannel promotes sales improvement by allowing businesses to secure multiple channels. It provides consumers with a wider range of choices and monetary advantages. As such, omnichannel facilitates economic sustainability as a major platform for commerce. The purpose of this study is to identify the determinants of consumers’ continuous intention to use omnichannel. This research collected data from 262 consumers who had used omnichannel. Partial lease square structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the empirical data. The results found that accessibility positively affects perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and relative advantage. Monetary saving positively influences relative advantage. Perceived risk has a negative association with relative advantage. Continuance intention is influenced by relative advantage, attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. This study offers an academic contribution in that the model was expanded by combining the theories of both technology and human behavior. It provides practical implications that omnichannel practitioners should prioritize money saving, perceived risks, and relative advantages. To enhance the generality of the results, future research needs to survey consumers in more countries. This work would be a useful guide to the sustainability of the economy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Consumer Satisfaction and Changing Business Models for a Sustainable Economy)

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