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Moving Toward Greener Societies: Moral Motivation and Green Behaviour

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  • Lorenzo Cerda Planas

    (University of Paris 1 Panthéon - Sorbonne)

Abstract

I provide an alternative explanation for why societies exhibit varied environmental behaviours. I use a Kantian moral approach at a microeconomic level. I show that two identical societies (in terms of income level and political system) might follow different paths with respect to their “green” behaviour. Additionally, I identify tipping points that could nudge a society from a polluting behaviour to a green one. I find that the perception of environment within the society can be an important factor in this shift.

Suggested Citation

  • Lorenzo Cerda Planas, 2018. "Moving Toward Greener Societies: Moral Motivation and Green Behaviour," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 70(4), pages 835-860, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:enreec:v:70:y:2018:i:4:d:10.1007_s10640-017-0167-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s10640-017-0167-y
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    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    Cited by:

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    3. Lucas Bretschger & Karen Pittel, 2019. "Twenty Key Questions in Environmental and Resource Economics," CER-ETH Economics working paper series 19/328, CER-ETH - Center of Economic Research (CER-ETH) at ETH Zurich.
    4. Toshima Makoondlall-Chadee & Chandradeo Bokhoree, 2024. "Understanding the Influencing Factors of Pro-Environmental Behavior in the Hotel Sector of Mauritius Island," Tourism and Hospitality, MDPI, vol. 5(4), pages 1-35, October.
    5. Bart Defloor & Brent Bleys & Elsy Verhofstadt & Luc Van Ootegem, 2022. "How to Reduce Individuals’ Ecological Footprint without Harming Their Well-Being: An Application to Belgium," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-30, April.
    6. Chiara Franco & Claudia Ghisetti, 2022. "What shapes the “value-action” gap? The role of time perception reconsidered," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 39(3), pages 1023-1053, October.
    7. Boqiang Lin & Huanyu Jia, 2023. "The role of peers in promoting energy conservation among Chinese university students," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-10, December.
    8. Siyu Gao & Bilin Shao, 2022. "Why Do Consumers Switch to Biodegradable Plastic Consumption? The Effect of Push, Pull and Mooring on the Plastic Consumption Intention of Young Consumers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-23, November.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Green behaviour; Kantian morale; Moral motivation; Tipping points;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C62 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling - - - Existence and Stability Conditions of Equilibrium
    • D64 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Altruism; Philanthropy; Intergenerational Transfers
    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • H41 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Public Goods
    • Q50 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - General

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