“I don’t want to be selling my soul”: Two Experiments in Environmental Economics

Authors

Natalia V. Ovchinnikova, St. Lawrence UniversityFollow
Hans J. Czap, St. Lawrence UniversityFollow
Gary D. Lynne, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Christopher W. Larimer, University of Northern Iowa

Date of this Version

3-2009

Comments

Published in Journal of Socio-Economics 38:2 (March 2009), pp. 221-229; doi 10.1016/j.socec.2008.10.010 Copyright © 2008 Elsevier Inc. Used by permission.

Abstract

We conducted two experiments in the context of environmental protection. We found that profit considerations and personality traits are among the essential determinants of individual contributions to the solution of environmental problems. The results show that environmental considerations are powerful motivators and subjects are willing to forgo pecuniary profits for the sake of “doing-the-right-thing”. The study shows that the environmental groups can purchase carbon offsets directly from the providers at a lower-than market price and still obtain a relatively large market share.