Other-regarding values and pro-social behaviour in environmental governance: An economic experiment on the potential of perspective-taking

Perceived and geographical distance among relevant actors can hinder prosocial behaviour and challenge environmental governance. Perspective-taking (the act of considering another's perspective and circumstances) can help overcome these challenges, but its impact is far from straightforward and depends on the mechanisms it activates. We further conceptualise and explore these, focusing on the potential impacts of perspective-taking on values, perceptions and affect. Our exploratory analysis is based on an extended literature review and (qualitative and quantitative) data from an economic experiment involving 205 farmers in the lower section of an Andean watershed. In the experiment, farmers decided on a donation that would support farmers upstream, who are relatively less well-off but have contributed to stable water provision downstream. Some participants were induced to engage in perspective-taking either through a video or a field visit before deciding on their donation. We elicited their reasons for (not) donating and systematically analysed these. We show that perspective-taking fosters values (namely, outgroup solidarity and other-regarding preferences), perceptions (of closeness), and affect (compassion) among otherwise distant actors. Yet prosocial behaviour is only strongly associated with other-regarding preferences. Values, so far underexplored, thus emerge as a key pathway linking perspective-taking with prosocial behaviour. However, a comparison across experimental conditions suggests that this impact of perspective-taking arguably depends on the information medium, which shapes participants' assessments of both others' relative needs and the possibilities for helping. This value-based pathway, along with the specific impact of perspective-taking procedures, invites future research.