RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Effects of Norms and Opportunity Cost of Time on Household Recycling
JF Land Economics
JO Land Econ
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 501
OP 516
DO 10.3368/le.84.3.501
VO 84
IS 3
A1 Halvorsen, Bente
YR 2008
UL http://le.uwpress.org/content/84/3/501.abstract
AB Social and moral norms and the opportunity cost of time will affect household recycling efforts. A model is developed to describe how norms affect the recycling decision through feelings of self-respect, guilty conscience, and warm-glow, as well as respect in, and sanctions from, the community. We find that the opportunity cost of time has a significant negative effect on household recycling. All indicators of warm-glow, social, and moral norms increase household recycling efforts. We find no evidence of crowding-out, neither when recycling is perceived as mandatory, nor when economic incentives are introduced in the form of a differentiated garbage fee. (JEL C21, H42)