Too much of a good thing? Why altruism can harm the environment?

B-Tier
Journal: Ecological Economics
Year: 2009
Volume: 68
Issue: 7
Pages: 2145-2149

Score contribution per author:

0.670 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Success of eco-labeling schemes, broadly defined, varies among products and across countries. Based on a simple theoretical framework, we show that the nature of environmental attributes among products (i.e., private versus public) and the consumer type (i.e., egoist versus altruist) shape the overall performance of such schemes. In addition, we demonstrate that altruistic consumers exhibiting a too high willingness to pay for the eco-labeled product can inadvertently prevent egoistic consumers from purchasing it, leading to a sub-optimal outcome in terms of environmental performance. Several policy and managerial implications are drawn.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:ecolec:v:68:y:2009:i:7:p:2145-2149
Journal Field
Environment
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-25