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More information isn’t always better: the case of voluntary provision of environmental quality

Author Info

Listed author(s):
  • Owen, Ann L.
  • Videras, Julio
  • Wu, Stephen

Abstract

This paper adds to the literature on the voluntary provision of public goods by showing that the warm glow that individuals gain depends on the perceived relative effectiveness of contributions. We use a new survey on pro-environment behaviors, attitudes, and knowledge and find that individuals act in accordance with their beliefs, regardless of whether or not these beliefs are accurate, and engage more frequently in activities that have a higher perceived impact on environmental quality. We find that low provision of the public good is greater among people who believe they cannot do much for the environment and do not consider themselves environmentalists.

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File URL: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/11588/1/MPRA_paper_11588.pdf
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Paper provided by University Library of Munich, Germany in its series MPRA Paper with number 11588.

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Date of creation: Sep 2008
Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:11588
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Keywords: warm glow; environmental quality; public goods contributions;

Other versions of this item:

Find related papers by JEL classification:
  • Q50 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - General
  • H41 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Public Goods

This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

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  1. Shimshack, Jay P. & Ward, Michael B. & Beatty, Timothy K.M., 2007. "Mercury advisories: Information, education, and fish consumption," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 53(2), pages 158-179, March.
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  18. Owen, Ann L. & Videras, Julio, 2006. "Civic cooperation, pro-environment attitudes, and behavioral intentions," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(4), pages 814-829, July.
  19. Wu Stephen, 2005. "Fatalistic Tendencies: An Explanation of Why People Don't Save," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 4(1), pages 1-23, September.
  20. Kenkel, Don, 1990. "Consumer Health Information and the Demand for Medical Care," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 72(4), pages 587-595, November.
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  22. Daniel Houser & Robert Kurzban, 2002. "Revisiting Kindness and Confusion in Public Goods Experiments," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 92(4), pages 1062-1069, September.
  23. Berrens, Robert P. & Bohara, Alok K. & Jenkins-Smith, Hank C. & Silva, Carol L. & Weimer, David L., 2004. "Information and effort in contingent valuation surveys: application to global climate change using national internet samples," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 47(2), pages 331-363, March.
  24. Magali Delmas & Maria J. Montes-Sancho & Jay P. Shimshack, 2010. "Information Disclosure Policies: Evidence From The Electricity Industry," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 48(2), pages 483-498, 04.
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Cited by:

  1. John C. Whitehead & Melissa S. Weddell & Peter A. Groothuis, 2016. "Mitigating Hypothetical Bias In Stated Preference Data: Evidence From Sports Tourism," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 54(1), pages 605-611, 01.
  2. Geir Asheim, 2010. "Strategic Use of Environmental Information," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 46(2), pages 207-216, June.
  3. Ann Owen & Julio Videras & Stephen Wu, 2010. "Identity and Environmentalism: The Influence of Community Characteristics," Review of Social Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 68(4), pages 465-486.
  4. Prasenjit Sarkhel & Sarmila Banerjee & Somdutta Banerjee, 2016. "Willingness to pay before and after program implementation: the case of Municipal Solid Waste Management in Bally Municipality, India," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 18(2), pages 481-498, April.

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