Material Scarcity and Unethical Economic Behavior: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Individuals around the globe experience different forms of material resource scarcity in terms of aspects such as hunger, thirst, or financial strains. As experiences of material scarcity have been found to make individuals more risk-taking, impulsive, and focused on regaining resources in the short-term, a growing body of research has investigated how such scarcity affects moral economic behavior. Yet, findings remain mixed and at times contradictory, thus calling for a systematic meta-analytical review on this overarching topic. In this pre-registered systematic review and meta-analysis, we evaluate qualitatively and quantitatively how material resource scarcity affects moral economic behavior. We analyze a comprehensive dataset including 44 published and unpublished studies comprising a total of 6,921 respondents across four distinct types of material scarcity: financial scarcity, physiological scarcity, scarcity reminders, and lower social class. Our findings show that acute scarcity significantly increases the propensity to engage in unethical economic behavior (gfinancial = .24, gphysiological = .39, greminders = .32). Importantly, we find no evidence that chronic experiences of scarcity in the form of low social class affect unethical economic behavior (gsocial class = .02). These results appear robust to the influence of publication bias and contextual sensitivity. We discuss how these findings advance our understanding of the psychological and moral consequences of scarcity and elaborate on implications for public policy.

Serious Games in Secondary Education to Introduce Circular Economy: Experiences With the Game EcoCEO

The concept of the circular economy is being proposed as an alternative for the current linear economy. However, little research has been done on how to integrate this topic within education. Serious games are suggested as an appropriate way to create awareness about and stimulate behavioral change toward sustainable development. Therefore, the serious game ecoCEO has been developed to introduce the circular economy concept within upper secondary education. The game's intention is to introduce students to the challenge of resource scarcity, circular product design, sustainable entrepreneurship and circular business models. EcoCEO has been tested among 42 students, whose written reflections were qualitatively examined. EcoCEO appears successful, at least partially, in contrasting the circular economy with the linear economy and in conveying relevant concepts such as recycling and reuse. EcoCEO also illustrates the importance of the circular economy within the context of material scarcity. Moreover, most students in our case study seem to have a good impression of the role and responsibilities of a (sustainable) entrepreneur. Despite its difficulty level, the majority of the students reported having fun while playing ecoCEO.

Material Scarcity and Unethical Economic Behavior: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Individuals around the globe experience different forms of material resource scarcity in terms of aspects such as hunger, thirst, or financial strains. As experiences of material scarcity have been found to make individuals more risk-taking, impulsive, and focused on regaining resources in the short-term, a growing body of research has investigated how such scarcity affects moral economic behavior. Yet, findings remain mixed and at times contradictory, thus calling for a systematic meta-analytical review on this overarching topic. In this pre-registered systematic review and meta-analysis, we evaluate qualitatively and quantitatively how material resource scarcity affects moral economic behavior. We analyze a comprehensive dataset including 44 published and unpublished studies comprising a total of 6,921 respondents across four distinct types of material scarcity: financial scarcity, physiological scarcity, scarcity reminders, and lower social class. Our findings show that acute scarcity significantly increases the propensity to engage in unethical economic behavior (gfinancial = .24, gphysiological = .39, greminders = .32). Importantly, we find no evidence that chronic experiences of scarcity in the form of low social class affect unethical economic behavior (gsocial class = .02). These results appear robust to the influence of publication bias and contextual sensitivity. We discuss how these findings advance our understanding of the psychological and moral consequences of scarcity and elaborate on implications for public policy.

SÍNTESE, CARACTERIZAÇÃO E AVALIAÇÃO DE BIOCARVÃO PRODUZIDO A PARTIR DE RESÍDUO RUMINAL BOVINO DE FRIGORÍFICO PARA SUBSTITUIÇÃO PARCIAL DO CIMENTO EM CONCRETO

Nowadays, the cement industry faces several challenges, such as: fossil fuels reservation exhaustion, raw material scarcity, growing demand for building materials, as well as crescent environmental concerns, like air pollution and climate changes. The cement production is directly related to CO₂ emission, one of the main greenhouse gases. Therefore, this search’s objective is to demonstrate the biochar as a potential additive to replace cement in concrete, improving hydration due to its internal healing andnucleation effects. The biochar was prepared by bovine ruminal residue pyrolysis for 1 and 2% replacement of concrete cement. Immediate analyzes were also carried out to get information about biochar’s composition. It was observed in the compressive strength tests, a considerable increase in concrete strength with biochar’s partial replacement. During pyrolysis, the carbon from biomass raw material is sequestered in the chemical structure of the biochar produced that would be released into the atmosphere through decomposition or degradation of biomass. Using material produced by waste to partially substitute cement is an economic and sustainable strategy to achieve green concrete mixtures.

Perceived scarcity and cooperation contextualized to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a decrease in both material resources (e.g., jobs, access to healthcare), and socio-psychological resources, triggered by social distancing and lockdowns. It is established that perceived resource scarcity creates a mindset that affects cognitive abilities, including decision-making. Given the importance of social norms compliance in the current climate, we investigated whether perceived material and socio-psychological scarcity experienced during the pandemic predicted cooperation, measured using two Public Good Games (PGGs), where participants contributed money or time (i.e., hours indoors contributed to shorten the lockdown). Material scarcity had no relationship with cooperation. Scarcity of socio-psychological wellbeing (e.g., connecting with family) predicted increased cooperation in both PGGs, suggesting that missing social contact fosters prosociality. On the other hand, perceived scarcity of freedom (e.g., limited movement) predicted decreased willingness to spend time indoors to shorten the lockdown. These results may have implications for message framing when aiming to increase cooperation.

Material flow in construction sites – a case study

The efficient movement of materials at sites in fair quantity at fair time without any interruption is called material flow. Operation and flow of these materials is a challenge experienced in sites today due to material scarcity, delivery delays, inadequate transportation facilities, loss and wastage, insufficient storage space etc. Data on material flows and inventory levels is intended to promote circular economy and resource efficiency in the construction sector. This paper presents a case study in Kerala, India with the purpose to quantify the flow of materials and stocks in the construction site. A questionnaire survey was conducted to find out the main factors that can affect the flow of materials in the building industry. Out of 65 respondents labour, equipment, material, time and cost are identified as the main factors which can contribute towards material flow. Based on the identified parameters, a material flow pathway is developed for the case study. It demonstrates the management of logistics and factors influencing the movement of materials on work sites. It therefore helps in the analysis of factors concerning the efficient use of materials in infrastructure projects. Keywords-material flow, logistics management, material scarcity, infrastructure projects.

Domination and enforcement: The contingent and non-ideal relation between state and freedom

It is common to think that state enforcement is a restriction on freedom that is morally permitted or justified because of the unfortunate circumstances in which we find ourselves. Human frailty and material scarcity combine to make the compromise of freedom involved in exclusive state enforcement power necessary for other freedoms or other goods. In the words of James Madison, ‘if men were angels, no government would be necessary’ ( 1990 : 267). But there is an opposing tradition, according to which the very idea of freedom in society entails the necessity of state enforcement. However morally good human beings are, or whatever material conditions they find themselves in, on this view, the ideal of freedom we ought to be concerned to realise is such that it cannot be attained without state enforcement. It follows a priori from an important ideal of freedom that a state with exclusive enforcement power is necessary for individual liberty in society. In this paper, I argue against what I take to be the strongest argument of the a priori kind, which begins from the neo-republican ideal of freedom as non-domination, and thereby in (partial) defence of the alternative, Madisonian, view. Insofar as it is true that some sort of problematic domination will inevitably be present in a stateless society, I argue, the introduction of a state can do nothing to eliminate it. For the state to improve on even an ideal stateless society, it would need to give individuals control over the interference of potential dominators of a sort that could not be achieved in the ideal stateless society.