Journal of Business Research has opened a call for papers for the special issue “Vice Goods and Services in the Contemporary Marketplace”. The issue focuses on products and services that provide immediate gratification but may also be associated with long-term individual or societal harms, including areas such as gambling, fast food, alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, mobile sports betting, adult content subscriptions and other digital forms of indulgent consumption. 

The call invites research that examines how consumers engage with these goods and services, considering issues such as identity expression, leisure, coping mechanisms, cultural practices, wellbeing, vulnerability, stigma and market dynamics. The special issue seeks to move beyond a purely harm-based perspective, encouraging contributions that address the tensions between consumer choice, ethics, regulation, entrepreneurial innovation, public health and public policy. 

This call may be of interest to researchers working in consumer behaviour, social marketing, public policy, marketing ethics, market regulation, consumer vulnerability and responsible consumption. Contributions may also explore how contemporary marketplaces and digital environments are reshaping access to, promotion of and engagement with vice goods and services. 

The guest editors of the special issue are Chris Berry, Joshua D. Dorsey, Ronald Paul Hill and Jeremy Kees. The submission deadline is 1 July 2026. Manuscripts should be submitted through the Journal of Business Research submission system, selecting the article type “Vice Goods and Services”. 

More information: https://www.sciencedirect.com/special-issue/328226/vice-goods-and-services-in-the-contemporary-marketplace