RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Altruism and the Demand for Environmental Quality
JF Land Economics
JO Land Econ
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 339
OP 349
DO 10.2307/3147128
VO 77
IS 3
A1 Popp, David
YR 2001
UL http://le.uwpress.org/content/77/3/339.abstract
AB This paper asks whether individuals consider the value that future generations will receive from environmental quality when deciding what level of environmental protection to provide. Using data on life expectancy, I develop two tests for altruism towards future generations. One, a test for strong altruism, asks whether individual motives are purely altruistic when deciding to provide environmental quality. The second, a test for weak altruism, combines an individual’s concern for both self-interest and the interest of future generations. Using data from a Washington Post survey on environmental attitudes to implement the test, I find evidence of weak altruism. (JEL Q20)