Environmental Dilemmas and Policy Design
Huib Pellikaan author Robert J van der Veen author
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Cambridge University Press
Published:22nd Aug '02
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
The authors argue that citizens are willing and able to contribute towards environmental protection.
It has been assumed that mere awareness of the causes of environmental degradation will not motivate citizens to reduce pollution. Here the authors counter-argue that most citizens are willing to contribute voluntarily towards safeguarding the environment, but that their willingness depends on the social context of the problem they face.According to the logic of collective action, mere awareness of the causes of environmental degradation will not motivate rational agents to reduce pollution. Yet some government policies aim to enlist citizens in schemes of voluntary cooperation, drawing on an ethos of collective responsibility. Are such policies doomed to failure? This book provides a novel application of rational choice theory to a large-scale survey of environmental attitudes in The Netherlands. Its main findings are that rational citizens are motivated to cooperate towards a less polluted environment to a large extent, but that their willingness to assume responsibility depends on the social context of the collective action problem they face. This empirical study is an important volume in the development of a more consistent foundation for rational choice theory in policy analysis, which seeks to clarify major theoretical issues concerning the role of moral commitment, self-interest and reciprocity in environmental behaviour.
'This is social science at its best. Instead of taking casual looks at very important concepts, they have teased apart an important foundation of modern social science theory, and developed a large data set that enables them to examine piece by piece this important concept. What a gem!' Elinor Ostrom, Indiana University
'This is an excellent book that makes a genuinely significant contribution to social science methodology and environmental policy. It is extremely clearly written and surprisingly accessible to the non-specialist.' Derek R. Bell, Newcastle University
'… this is an important case study in the responsiveness of public opinion to environmental information campaigns.' Acta Politica
'… a detailed and thought-provoking read.' Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy
ISBN: 9780521627641
Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 15mm
Weight: 410g
262 pages