IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/anresc/v68y2022i2d10.1007_s00168-021-01074-x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Social and economic determinants of materials recycling and circularity in Europe: an empirical investigation

Author

Listed:
  • Ioannis Kostakis

    (Harokopio University
    Hellenic Open University)

  • Konstantinos P. Tsagarakis

    (Democritus University of Thrace)

Abstract

The present empirical study sheds light on the role of socioeconomic characteristics toward circular economy, resulting in more sustainable production and consumption patterns. Using fixed-effects and instrumental variable fixed-effects panel approaches, we examine the role of social and economic determinants on materials recycling and circularity in the European Union (EU). Empirical results reveal that recycling and circularity rates are positively affected by factors such as economic wealth, fertility rate, the level of environmental taxes and R&D expenditures. Furthermore, urbanization also seems to have a positive, but nonlinear effect on recycling and circularity rates. Our results can be beneficial to decision makers and managers for implementing several policies aiming to increase recycling and circularity across the EU and beyond.

Suggested Citation

  • Ioannis Kostakis & Konstantinos P. Tsagarakis, 2022. "Social and economic determinants of materials recycling and circularity in Europe: an empirical investigation," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 68(2), pages 263-281, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:anresc:v:68:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1007_s00168-021-01074-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s00168-021-01074-x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00168-021-01074-x
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s00168-021-01074-x?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Damiano Fiorillo, 2013. "Household waste recycling: national survey evidence from Italy," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 56(8), pages 1125-1151, October.
    2. Patuelli, Roberto & Nijkamp, Peter & Pels, Eric, 2005. "Environmental tax reform and the double dividend: A meta-analytical performance assessment," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(4), pages 564-583, December.
    3. Fenna Blomsma & Geraldine Brennan, 2017. "The Emergence of Circular Economy: A New Framing Around Prolonging Resource Productivity," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 21(3), pages 603-614, June.
    4. Heleen Bartelings & Thomas Sterner, 1999. "Household Waste Management in a Swedish Municipality: Determinants of Waste Disposal, Recycling and Composting," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 13(4), pages 473-491, June.
    5. V. Kerry Smith, 1995. "Does education induce people to improve the environment?," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 14(4), pages 599-604.
    6. Roberto Bermejo, 2014. "Handbook for a Sustainable Economy," Springer Books, Springer, edition 127, number 978-94-017-8981-3, October.
    7. Roberto Rocca & Paolo Rosa & Claudio Sassanelli & Luca Fumagalli & Sergio Terzi, 2020. "Integrating Virtual Reality and Digital Twin in Circular Economy Practices: A Laboratory Application Case," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-27, March.
    8. Ioannis KOSTAKIS & Sarantis LOLOS & Eleni SARDIANOU, 2017. "Foreign Direct Investment and Environmental Degradation Further Evidence from Brazil and Singapore," Journal of Advanced Research in Management, ASERS Publishing, vol. 8(1), pages 45-59.
    9. Ekins, Paul & Pollitt, Hector & Barton, Jennifer & Blobel, Daniel, 2011. "The implications for households of environmental tax reform (ETR) in Europe," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(12), pages 2472-2485.
    10. Alan Murray & Keith Skene & Kathryn Haynes, 2017. "The Circular Economy: An Interdisciplinary Exploration of the Concept and Application in a Global Context," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 140(3), pages 369-380, February.
    11. Hausman, Jerry, 2015. "Specification tests in econometrics," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 38(2), pages 112-134.
    12. repec:srs:journl:jemt:v:8:y:2017:i:1:p:45-59 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Dakshina G. De Silva & Rachel A. J. Pownall, 2014. "Going green: does it depend on education, gender or income?," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 46(5), pages 573-586, February.
    14. Kirchherr, Julian & Reike, Denise & Hekkert, Marko, 2017. "Conceptualizing the circular economy: An analysis of 114 definitions," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 221-232.
    15. Torgler, Benno & Garcia-Valinas, Maria A., 2007. "The determinants of individuals' attitudes towards preventing environmental damage," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(2-3), pages 536-552, August.
    16. Chenyang Xiao & Riley E. Dunlap & Dayong Hong, 2013. "The Nature and Bases of Environmental Concern among Chinese Citizens," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 94(3), pages 672-690, September.
    17. Jenkins, Robin R. & Martinez, Salvador A. & Palmer, Karen & Podolsky, Michael J., 2003. "The determinants of household recycling: a material-specific analysis of recycling program features and unit pricing," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 45(2), pages 294-318, March.
    18. Hüseyin Önder, 2018. "The Socio-Economic Determiners of Recycling: An Analysis on European Countries Through a Macro Perspective," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 20(48), pages 405-405.
    19. Guzzo, Daniel & Rodrigues, Vinicius Picanço & Mascarenhas, Janaina, 2021. "A systems representation of the Circular Economy: Transition scenarios in the electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) industry," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    20. Christer Berglund & Patrik Söderholm, 2003. "An Econometric Analysis of Global Waste Paper Recovery and Utilization," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 26(3), pages 429-456, November.
    21. Meyer, Andrew, 2015. "Does education increase pro-environmental behavior? Evidence from Europe," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 108-121.
    22. Sidique, Shaufique F. & Joshi, Satish V. & Lupi, Frank, 2010. "Factors influencing the rate of recycling: An analysis of Minnesota counties," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 54(4), pages 242-249.
    23. repec:aud:audfin:v:20:y:2018:i:48:p:405 is not listed on IDEAS
    24. Peter Dauvergne, 2010. "The Problem of Consumption," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 10(2), pages 1-10, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Egger, Peter & Keuschnigg, Christian, 2023. "Resource Dependence, Recycling, and Trade," Economics Working Paper Series 2306, University of St. Gallen, School of Economics and Political Science.
    2. Agliardi, Elettra & Kasioumi, Myrto, 2023. "Closing the loop in a duopolistic circular economy model," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 262(C).
    3. Josep-Maria Arauzo-Carod & Ioannis Kostakis & Konstantinos P. Tsagarakis, 2022. "Policies for supporting the regional circular economy and sustainability," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 68(2), pages 255-262, April.
    4. Hondroyiannis, G. & Sardianou, E. & Nikou, V. & Evangelinos, K. & Nikolaou, I., 2024. "Circular economy and macroeconomic performance: Evidence across 28 European countries," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 215(C).
    5. Harrison Huang & Lu Li, 2022. "Study Reviews and Rethinking the Key Processes for Managing Building Materials to Enhance the Circular Economy in the AEC Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-18, September.
    6. Huang, Lihua, 2024. "Fintech inclusion in natural resource utilization, trade openness, resource productivity, recycling and minimizing waste generation: Does technology really drive economies toward green growth?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Abida Begum & Liu Jingwei & Maqsood Haider & Muhammad Maroof Ajmal & Salim Khan & Heesup Han, 2021. "Impact of Environmental Moral Education on Pro-Environmental Behaviour: Do Psychological Empowerment and Islamic Religiosity Matter?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-19, February.
    2. Donatella Baiardi, 2021. "What do you think about climate change?," Working Papers 477, University of Milano-Bicocca, Department of Economics, revised Aug 2021.
    3. Meyer, Andrew, 2015. "Does education increase pro-environmental behavior? Evidence from Europe," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 108-121.
    4. Andrej Kirbiš, 2023. "Environmental Attitudes among Youth: How Much Do the Educational Characteristics of Parents and Young People Matter?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-14, August.
    5. Weixi Kang, 2022. "Residence and Education Moderate the Longitudinal Association between Environmental Concern (EC) and Proenvironmental Behavior," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-9, November.
    6. Damiano Fiorillo & Luigi Senatore, 2020. "Pro-social behaviours, waste concern and recycling behaviour in Italy at the end of the 1990s," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 22(2), pages 127-151, April.
    7. Donatella Baiardi, 2021. "What do you think about climate change?," Working Paper series 21-16, Rimini Centre for Economic Analysis.
    8. German Arana‐Landin & Waleska Sigüenza & Beñat Landeta‐Manzano & Iker Laskurain‐Iturbe, 2024. "Circular economy: On the road to ISO 59000 family of standards," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(3), pages 1977-2009, May.
    9. Magdalena Rusch & Josef‐Peter Schöggl & Rupert J. Baumgartner, 2023. "Application of digital technologies for sustainable product management in a circular economy: A review," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(3), pages 1159-1174, March.
    10. Ahmad, Farhan & Bask, Anu & Laari, Sini & Robinson, Craig V., 2023. "Business management perspectives on the circular economy: Present state and future directions," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    11. Sophia Barquete & Ana Hiromi Shimozono & Adriana Hofmann Trevisan & Camila Gonçalves Castro & Leonardo Augusto de Vasconcelos Gomes & Janaina Mascarenhas, 2022. "Exploring the Dynamic of a Circular Ecosystem: A Case Study about Drivers and Barriers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-22, June.
    12. Concepción Garcés-Ayerbe & Pilar Rivera-Torres & Inés Suárez-Perales & Dante I. Leyva-de la Hiz, 2019. "Is It Possible to Change from a Linear to a Circular Economy? An Overview of Opportunities and Barriers for European Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Companies," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-15, March.
    13. Chembessi Chedrak & Gohoungodji Paulin & Juste Rajaonson, 2023. "“A fine wine, better with age”: Circular economy historical roots and influential publications: A bibliometric analysis using Reference Publication Year Spectroscopy (RPYS)," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 27(6), pages 1593-1612, December.
    14. Yasanur Kayikci & Yigit Kazancoglu & Nazlican Gozacan‐Chase & Cisem Lafci, 2022. "Analyzing the drivers of smart sustainable circular supply chain for sustainable development goals through stakeholder theory," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(7), pages 3335-3353, November.
    15. Gilbert Silvius & Aydan Ismayilova & Vicente Sales-Vivó & Micol Costi, 2021. "Exploring Barriers for Circularity in the EU Furniture Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-25, October.
    16. Gabi Försterling & Ronald Orth & Benjamin Gellert, 2023. "Transition to a Circular Economy in Europe through New Business Models: Barriers, Drivers, and Policy Making," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-40, May.
    17. Chamari Pamoshika Jayarathna & Duzgun Agdas & Les Dawes, 2023. "Exploring sustainable logistics practices toward a circular economy: A value creation perspective," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1), pages 704-720, January.
    18. Hage, Olle & Söderholm, Patrik & Berglund, Christer, 2009. "Norms and economic motivation in household recycling: Empirical evidence from Sweden," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 53(3), pages 155-165.
    19. Lihini Silva & Rebecca L. C. Taylor, 2024. "If You Build It, Will They Compost? The Effects of Municipal Composting Services on Household Waste Disposal and Landfill Emissions," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 87(3), pages 761-789, March.
    20. Hervé Corvellec & Alison F. Stowell & Nils Johansson, 2022. "Critiques of the circular economy," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 26(2), pages 421-432, April.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • Q56 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environment and Development; Environment and Trade; Sustainability; Environmental Accounts and Accounting; Environmental Equity; Population Growth

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:anresc:v:68:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1007_s00168-021-01074-x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.