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The Importance of Ethics in Environmental Economics with a Focus on Existence Values

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Author Info
Olof Johansson-Stenman ()

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Abstract

The importance of ethics and fundamental value judgments in environmental economics is high-lighted by discussing the controversial concept of existence values. The social value depends crucially on the social objective, which is not necessarily self-evident, e.g., since some individuals tend to value nature intrinsically. It is shown that the motives behind willingness to pay figures matter for the social value, and the conventional view that people respond to CV questions solely in order to maximize their own utility or well-being is questioned. The importance of being explicit about value judgments is emphasized, and it is argued that environmental economics should consider non-conventional assumptions which take the social context into account to a larger degree. Copyright Kluwer Academic Publishers 1998

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File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1023/A:1008239427421
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Publisher Info
Article provided by European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists in its journal Environmental and Resource Economics.

Volume (Year): 11 (1998)
Issue (Month): 3 (April)
Pages: 429-442
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Handle: RePEc:kap:enreec:v:11:y:1998:i:3:p:429-442

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Related research
Keywords: altruism; contingent valuation; ethics; existence values; motives; simplifying assumptions; welfare theory;

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References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
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Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. John M. Gowdy, 2004. "Toward a New Welfare Foundation for Sustainability," Rensselaer Working Papers in Economics 0401, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  2. Johansson-Stenman , Olof & Svedsäter, Henrik, 2003. "Self Image And Choice Experiments: Hypothetical And Actual Willingness To Pay," Working Papers in Economics 94, Göteborg University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  3. Clifford S. Russell & Thomas Bue Bjorner & Christopher D. Clark, 2001. "Searching for Evidence of Alternative Preferences, Public as Opposed to Private," Working Papers 0101, Department of Economics, Vanderbilt University. [Downloadable!]
  4. Thomas Eichner & Rüdiger Pethig, 2004. "Efficient nonanthropocentric nature protection," Volkswirtschaftliche Diskussionsbeitraege 115-04, Universität Siegen, Fachbereich Wirtschaftswissenschaften, Wirtschaftsinformatik und Wirtschaftsrecht. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  5. Johansson-Stenman, Olof, 2001. "Environmental Policy when People's Preferences are Inconsistent, Non-Welfaristic, or simply Not Developed," Working Papers in Economics 34, Göteborg University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  6. Christian Azar, 1998. "Are Optimal CO2 Emissions Really Optimal?," Environmental & Resource Economics, European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 11(3), pages 301-315, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Johansson-Stenman, Olof, 2006. "Cost Benefit Rules when Nature Counts," Working Papers in Economics 198, Göteborg University, Department of Economics, revised 09 May 2006. [Downloadable!]
  8. Suh, J. & Harrison, S., 2005. "A Test for the Presence of Genuine or Pure Altruistic Motives in Non-Market Valuation: A Case Study Using Choice Modeling," Discussion Papers Series 338, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia. [Downloadable!]
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