TY - JOUR

T1 - Other-regarding preferences and pro-environmental behaviour

T2 - An interdisciplinary review of experimental studies

AU - Heinz, Nicolai

AU - Koessler, Ann Kathrin

N1 - Funding Information: We thank Stefanie Engel, Juan Felipe Ortiz-Riomalo, Ioana Adrian Branga-Peicu, and Maria Angelica Lopez Ardila as well as the two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments on earlier versions of this manuscript. Moreover, we gratefully acknowledge the funding and support for this research has been received by the Heinrich-Böll-Foundation and the Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation in the framework of the Alexander von Humboldt-Professorship held by Prof. Stefanie Engel, endowed by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research .

PY - 2021/6

Y1 - 2021/6

N2 - Pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) is often promoted by reinforcing or highlighting own benefits. However, considering that actors also care about the outcomes for others (i.e. they hold other-regarding preferences), PEB may also be encouraged by addressing these other-regarding preferences. In this paper, we review the results from social science experiments where interventions addressing other-regarding preferences were used to promote PEB. Based on our synthesis, we conclude that addressing other-regarding preferences can be effective in promoting (various types of) PEB in some, but not in all instances. Whether an intervention was effective depended inter alia on the pre-established preferences, cost structures and the perceived cooperation of others. Effective interventions included the provision of information on behavioural consequences, perspective-taking, direct appeals, framing and re-categorization. The interventions worked by activating other-regarding preferences, raising awareness about adverse consequences, evoking empathic concern and expanding the moral circle. We propose to take these findings as an impulse to examine policy instruments and institutions in terms of whether they activate and strengthen other-regarding preferences, thereby enabling collective engagement in PEB.

AB - Pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) is often promoted by reinforcing or highlighting own benefits. However, considering that actors also care about the outcomes for others (i.e. they hold other-regarding preferences), PEB may also be encouraged by addressing these other-regarding preferences. In this paper, we review the results from social science experiments where interventions addressing other-regarding preferences were used to promote PEB. Based on our synthesis, we conclude that addressing other-regarding preferences can be effective in promoting (various types of) PEB in some, but not in all instances. Whether an intervention was effective depended inter alia on the pre-established preferences, cost structures and the perceived cooperation of others. Effective interventions included the provision of information on behavioural consequences, perspective-taking, direct appeals, framing and re-categorization. The interventions worked by activating other-regarding preferences, raising awareness about adverse consequences, evoking empathic concern and expanding the moral circle. We propose to take these findings as an impulse to examine policy instruments and institutions in terms of whether they activate and strengthen other-regarding preferences, thereby enabling collective engagement in PEB.

KW - Empathic concern

KW - Experiments

KW - Other-regarding preferences

KW - Preference activation

KW - Pro-environmental behaviour

KW - Review

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85101675901&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2021.106987

DO - 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2021.106987

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85101675901

VL - 184

JO - Ecological economics

JF - Ecological economics

SN - 0921-8009

M1 - 106987

ER -