Sub-theme 42: Markets for Sustainability: Evolving Challenges, Imperfections, and Trade-offs

Convenors:
Birthe Soppe
University of Innsbruck, Austria
Panikos Georgallis
University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Shon Hiatt
University of Southern California, USA

Call for Papers


In response to fundamental global challenges connected to sustainability issues, including clean drinking water, climate change, biodiversity loss, poverty, and inequality, the development of markets seeking environmental, social, and economic change has received increasing attention from organization scholars. For example, the study of markets such as those for ethical clothes (Schiller-Merkens, 2017), green buildings (York & Lenox, 2014), renewable energy (Georgallis et al., 2019; Grandy & Hiatt, 2020; Sine & Lee, 2009), organic food (Lee et al., 2017), fair trade products (Reinecke et al., 2012), and microfinancing (Battilana & Dorado, 2010; Cobb et al., 2016) has been at the heart of many recent developments in management and organization theory. Variably labelled as social-benefit (Corbett & Montgomery, 2017), moral (Georgallis & Lee, 2020; Hedberg & Lounsbury, 2021), or sustainable markets (Cohen & Winn, 2007), what these domains have in common is that they strive for a more balanced view of markets as solutions for global problems – one centered around the ‘triple bottom line’ (Bansal, 2005) of the economy, society, and environment.
 
While much research has so far focused on the creation of sustainable markets – taking theoretical perspectives such as social movements, policy making, standard setting, and entrepreneurship – we still know little about the organizational and institutional dynamics and complexities, trade-offs, and challenges that are at play when these markets evolve beyond their nascent stage and potentially move mainstream. This, however, is important to investigate given that markets for sustainability have often been created precisely in opposition to mainstream markets, addressing and challenging problematic elements of conventional markets and their offerings (Carroll & Swaminathan, 2000; Weber et al., 2008; Georgallis & Lee, 2020).
 
The aim of this sub-theme is to bring together scholars with an interest in markets for sustainability. In line with the EGOS Colloquium overall theme, we are particularly interested in contributions that explore the imperfections of evolving sustainable markets. Sustainable markets, their actors, and the institutions governing them are far from static and perfectly organized. We solicit submissions that explore the impact of changing institutions, including standards, certifications, regulations, and metrics, as well as the inter-organizational collaborative and competitive dynamics that unfold when these markets (attempt to) grow beyond their ‘alternative’ niches.
 
We see significant potential in intensifying the research dialogue on evolving markets for sustainability and we welcome submissions from a wide range of theoretical perspectives as well as methodological approaches. Research areas and questions that this sub-theme aims to address include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Policy changes and market impact: While new markets have been regularly supported by policy, regulation, and other institutions, these attempts are far from perfect, generating unintended consequences and complexities (Georgallis et al., 2021; Grandy & Hiatt, 2020; Rawhouser et al., 2019). What happens, for example, when the policy incentives that had initially shaped the existence of sustainable markets change or vanish? How do the actors populating moral markets deal with regulatory complexity? What are the idiosyncratic effects and trade-offs that inefficient policies, ambiguous market incentives, and volatile regulatory decision-making entail?

  • Evolving standards, certifications, and metrics: As certifications, standards, and other metrics change within markets, these changes can in turn impact the types of market entrants as well as sustainability outcomes (Eberhart & Armanios, 2020; Lewis & Carlos, 2019; Lee et al., 2017). What are the trade-offs between dampening the morale of ardent constituents and growing the market, and how are they managed? For instance, although sustainable investing has traditionally been a niche area, recent changes in fund metrics (i.e., what qualifies as a socially responsible company) have allowed for greater investor options in these markets. What is the optimum amount of stringency for making an efficient societal impact? Do changes in standards and metrics differentially affect sustainable actions (firm practices, CSR reporting, etc.) of firms from both moral and conventional markets (Carlos & Lewis, 2019)?

  • Market growth and inter-organizational collaborations: The expansion of moral markets is a collective effort that involves heterogenous actors with differing interests, such as entrepreneurs and incumbents, private and public organizations, regulators and NGOs. Coopetition, cross-sector partnerships, and more informal networks of collaboration are often needed in the expansion of these markets (Clarke & Crane, 2018; Doblinger et al. 2019; York et al., 2016). While important, these partnerships are difficult to navigate. What are the novel or hybrid forms of inter-organizational collaboration that emerge in mainstreaming moral markets? What are specific tensions, struggles, and complexities that occur when divergent parties collaborate? How do heterogenous actors negotiate a common ground? How can collaborative action leverage the sustainability impact of growing markets?

  • Competition among sustainable markets: Sustainable or moral markets have usually been studied in isolation, without accounting for competition from offerings by markets or segments with similar goals. How can moral markets co-exist with other moral markets that address identical or complementary goals? What happens when actors disagree on means (e.g., to work from within the dominant market economy or break from established traditions) or ends? To what extent is there ‘competition for sustainability impact’?

  • Intersections with conventional markets: As moral markets grow, conventional markets and established actors seem to respond in kind with the adoption of their own sustainable practices, investments, and standards (Flammer & Luo, 2017; Yan et al. 2019; Gehman & Grimes, 2017). Yet we know little about the organizational dynamics and challenges that unfold at the intersection of newly created markets with a moral component and conventional markets focused on financial returns (Patala et al., 2019). How do incumbents in conventional markets engage in more sustainable practices, and what are the repercussions of these activities on conventional market arenas and their inhabitants? What are the legitimacy trade-offs and moral struggles that the pioneers of markets for social change experience as their domain gets ‘conquered’ by diversifying incumbents? Do conventional markets produce similar sustainable outcomes as moral markets (Eccles et al., 2014)? As conventional markets adopt sustainable practices and standards, is there still a need for niche moral markets?

 


References


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  • Bansal, P. (2005): “Evolving Sustainability: A Longitudinal Study of Corporate Sustainable Development”. Strategic Management Journal, 26, 197–218.
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Birthe Soppe is an Associate Professor of Organization Studies at the University of Innsbruck, Austria; she is also affiliated with the University of Oslo, Norway. Her research focuses on how established firms change in the wake of sustainability pressures, collaboration dynamics between unequal partners, and meaning shifts and legitimacy dynamics under conditions of institutional change. Birthe’s research has been published in outlets such as ‘Organization Studies’, ‘Research Policy’, ‘Research in the Sociology of Organizations’, and ‘Journal of Small Business Management’.
Panikos Georgallis is an Assistant Professor of Strategy at the Amsterdam Business School, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. His teaching and research are in the areas of strategy, organization theory, and sustainability. Panikos’ work has been published in leading journals such as ‘Administrative Science Quarterly’, ‘Organization Science’, and ‘Journal of International Business Studies’. His current research projects include interactions between civil society and business, the evolution of moral markets, and firms’ responses to climate change.
Shon Hiatt is an Associate Professor at Marshall School of Business and Faculty Affiliate of the Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, University of Southern California, USA. Shon researches entrepreneurship, strategy, regulatory affairs, and business sustainability in domestic and international contexts.