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Participation in environmental organizations: an empirical analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 May 2011

BENNO TORGLER ,
MARÍA A. GARCÍA-VALIÑAS  and
ALISON MACINTYRE
BENNO TORGLER
Affiliation:
School of Economics and Finance, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia; and CREMA – Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts, Basel, Switzerland. Email: benno.torgler@qut.edu.au
MARÍA A. GARCÍA-VALIÑAS
Affiliation:
Oviedo Efficiency Group, Department of Economics, School of Economics and Business, University of Oviedo, Avda. del Cristo s/n, 33006, Oviedo (Asturias), Spain; and LERNA, Laboratoire d'Economie des Ressources Naturelles, Toulouse (Midi-Pyrinees), France. Email: mariangv@uniovi.es
ALISON MACINTYRE
Affiliation:
School of Economics and Finance, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. Email: alison.macintyre@qut.edu.au
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Abstract

The literature on volunteering has increased over the last few years. However, despite the importance of active environmental participation for solving public good and externality problems, there is still a lack of substantial empirical evidence regarding several interesting factors that influence this form of volunteering. This empirical study investigates the area by analyzing a cross-section of individuals from 38 countries using micro-data from wave III of the World Values Survey (1995–1997). The results suggest that individuals' active participation in environmental organizations is related not only to socioeconomic factors but also to political interest. We also find that a higher level of corruption is related to participation in environmental organizations. However, the situation is different for transition countries in which there was a collapse of institutional structures. The energy required to negotiate the ensuing chaos may have crowded out other forms of engagement.

Type
Research Article
Information
Environment and Development Economics , Volume 16 , Issue 5 , October 2011 , pp. 591 - 620
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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