Using the Norm Activation Model to Predict the Pro-Environmental Behaviors of Public Servants at the Central and Local Governments in Taiwan

Wei-Ta Fang, Yi-Te Chiang, Eric Ng and Jen-Chieh Lo
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Wei-Ta Fang: Graduate Institute of Environmental Education, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei 11677, Taiwan
Yi-Te Chiang: Graduate Institute of Environmental Education, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei 11677, Taiwan
Eric Ng: School of Management and Enterprise, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD 4350, Australia
Jen-Chieh Lo: Graduate Institute of Environmental Education, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei 11677, Taiwan

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 13, 1-20

Abstract: An understanding of the environmental value-action gap between public servants at the central and local governments is essential for the effective implementation of environmental policies, which is limited in the extant literature. This study has adopted the norm activation model to explore the pro-environmental behaviors of public servants at the central and local governments in Taiwan. A total of 7567 valid questionnaires were collected, and significant differences were evident between public servants at the central ( n = 3400) and local ( n = 4167) governments in personal norms, awareness of consequences, ascription of responsibility, and pro-environmental behaviors. Findings revealed that personal norms were the key factors predicting pro-environmental behaviors of public servants at both the central and local governments. Results also indicated that the awareness of consequences by public servants at the central government had a direct effect on their pro-environmental behaviors, which in turn had a significant effect on their ascription of responsibility. In contrast, awareness of consequences by public servants at the local government had no significant direct effect on their pro-environmental behaviors and had only a weak positive effect on their ascription of responsibility.

Keywords: awareness of consequence; ascription of responsibility; central and local government; public servants; norm activation model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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