A paper by Laszlo Zsolnai and Juewei Shi on “Loving Kindness in Economic and Social Actions” was published in International Journal of Ethics and Systems in 2026 June. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOES-10-2025-0567
The paper investigates the concept of mettā (“loving kindness”) within the historical context of Buddhism and explores its potential as a principle for economic and social actions in today’s world. The paper develops a new definition of genuine altruism in which altruism means “helping others in a selfless, appropriate, and effective way.” The paper presents working models of mettā in economic and social life, namely Patagonia, Inc., Green Monday, Loden Enterprises, and Apopo.
Generalizing these cases, the paper presents the virtuous circle of loving kindness in action. The circle starts with de-emphasizing self-interest and developing compassion for others, followed by loving kindness actions, and ending with increased wellbeing and merits. The paper concludes with some further reflections on mettā as an inspiration for humanistic actions and catalyzing progressive change in economic and social life.