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Freedom of the Will and Consumption Restrictions

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A Puppet is free as long as he loves his strings.

Harris (2012).

Abstract

There is a long-standing interest in business ethics around the concept of free will, but study of its possible influence on consumer behavior is only in the nascent stage. This lack of research is particularly acute in certain consumption contexts, especially ones based on highly restricted access that appear to suggest abrogation of the will. In this paper, we offer a novel approach that involves reexamination of qualitative/ethnographic research that has chronicled consumption restrictions without consideration of potential implications for free will. Using a new reanalysis method, we show that some of what is described as “vulnerability” using other theoretical paradigms is subsumed within this domain. Findings demonstrate that a complex relationship between free will and various consumption processes and outcomes exists that is acted out within and outside licit and illicit/formal and informal markets. These restrictions allow for a different vantage point to address free will and consumption, with implications for business ethicists and researchers interested in human quality treatment or human dignity-centered business frameworks.

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Acknowledgements

The author thanks Stacey Baker, Julie Ozanne, and Madhu Viswanathan for their helpful comments ensuring that his interpretation of their research was accurate and appropriate. The guest editors and the reviewers provided excellent and helpful recommendations that significantly improved this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. American University, Washington, DC, USA

    Ronald Paul Hill

  2. Kogod School of Business, American University, Washington, DC, USA

    Ronald Paul Hill

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  1. Ronald Paul Hill
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Correspondence to Ronald Paul Hill.

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Hill, R.P. Freedom of the Will and Consumption Restrictions. J Bus Ethics 164, 311–324 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-019-04274-w

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