Reluctant Recyclers: Social Interaction in Responsibility Ascription
Link to article:
Authors:
Brekke, Kjell Arne, Karine Nyborg and Gorm Kipperberg
Year:
2007
Reference:
Memorandum
Number in series: 16
Summary
Several studies have demonstrated that individual contributions to public goods are increasing in others’ contributions. The underlying causes for this, however, are not yet fully understood. We present a model of duty-orientation in which moral responsibility is learned through observations of others’ behavior. Since, in our model, responsibility is a burden, we hypothesize that individuals will be reluctant to accept responsibility based on uncertain information. Econometric analysis of 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:
D11, D12, D64, Q53
Keywords:
Voluntary contributions, duty-orientation, recycling, joint FIML estimation.
Project:
Oppdragsgiver:Oppdragsgivers prosjektnr.:
Frisch prosjekt:
Contact:
karine.nyborg@frisch.uio.no
