The shaping of marketplace moral sentiments

Abstract

Existing research shows how morality and markets intersect. However, there are two oversights: 1) how morality is attributed to some markets and not others, and 2) how moral attributions on some markets change spatiotemporally. We conduct a meta-synthesis of 101 papers to develop a framework for how moral attributions on markets are shaped. First, we define the concept of marketplace moral sentiment. Next, we unpack the work of marketplace actors that destabilize, re-stabilize, and change marketplace moral sentiments. Through this, four distinct types of moral sentiments can form: harmonized, divided, dispersed, and enforced. We contribute to the literature on morality and markets by showing how markets are enacted and reconfigured through moral contestations. We also offer theoretical extensions related to organizational heterogeneity, a market’s susceptibility to moral contestation, and the role of non-human actors in shaping marketplace moral sentiments. Finally, we discuss the managerial and policy implications of our work.