PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Kjell Arne Brekke
AU  - Gorm Kipperberg
AU  - Karine Nyborg
TI  - Social Interaction in Responsibility Ascription: The Case of Household Recycling
AID  - 10.3368/le.86.4.766
DP  - 2010 Nov 01
TA  - Land Economics
PG  - 766--784
VI  - 86
IP  - 4
4099  - http://le.uwpress.org/content/86/4/766.short
4100  - http://le.uwpress.org/content/86/4/766.full
SO  - Land Econ2010 Nov 01; 86
AB  - Duty-orientation implies a warm glow of giving as well as a cold shiver of not giving enough. If duty-oriented consumers learn their moral responsibility by observing others’ behavior, social interaction in contribution behavior arises. However, since moral responsibility is a burden, duty-oriented consumers may be less willing to accept responsibility if their information about others’ behavior is uncertain. Data from a survey on households’ glass recycling indicates that perceived responsibility is a major determinant for reported recycling, that responsibility ascription is influenced by beliefs about others’ behavior, and that people are, indeed, reluctant to accept responsibility based on uncertain information. (JEL D64, Q53)