RESEARCH PUZZLE AND OBJECTIVE
Economic utility alone cannot explain how "decent people" come to see illicit conduct as acceptable, necessary, or defensible. Many participants do not perceive themselves as criminals. The key question, therefore, is how "decent people" reconcile rule-breaking with a positive moral self-image
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IDEA
"Decent people" do not necessarily reject moral norms; they make them flexible enough to accommodate illicit conduct
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THEORETICAL APPROACH
This poster builds on a broader mapping of theories used to explain participation in illicit trade. The initial review grouped theories into two motivational logics: utility-and-opportunity and normative-affective, using a targeted search strategy ("theory name" AND ("illicit" OR "crim*")).
For the purposes of this poster, the focus is narrowed to the psychological mechanisms of self-justification that help explain how actors preserve a positive self-concept while engaging in illicit trade
CONCLUSION
Illicit trade persists not only because it can be profitable, but also because neutralization and moral disengagement make participation morally acceptable to otherwise "decent" people