Altruism and the Demand for Environmental Quality

David Popp

Land Economics, 2001, vol. 77, issue 3, 339-349

Abstract: This paper asks whether individuals consider the value that future generations will receive from environmental quality when deciding what level of environmental protection to provide. Using data on life expectancy, I develop two tests for altruism towards future generations. One, a test for strong altruism, asks whether individual motives are purely altruistic when deciding to provide environmental quality. The second, a test for weak altruism, combines an individual’ s concern for both self-interest and the interest of future generations. Using data from a Washington Post survey on environmental attitudes to implement the test, I find evidence of weak altruism.

JEL-codes: Q20 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2001
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (52)

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