Nudges, social norms and permanence in agri-environmental schemes
Abstract
The permanence of land management practices adopted under Agri-environmental schemes (AES) is often questioned. This paper investigates the drivers of farmers’ decision as to whether to maintain “pro-environment” practices beyond the duration of a contract, and in particular the effect of social norms. Our results, based on the stated intentions of 395 French farmers, show that both pecuniary and non-pecuniary motivations drive farmers’ decision, which is also significantly influenced by information about a social norm. Therefore “nudging” farmers, by conveying information to them on other farmers’ pro-environmental practices, appears as a means of maintaining the long-run benefits of AES.
Citation
Kuhfuss , L , Preget , R , Thoyer , S , Hanley , N , Le Coent , P & Desole , M 2016 , ' Nudges, social norms and permanence in agri-environmental schemes ' , Land Economics , vol. 92 , no. 4 , pp. 641-655 . https://doi.org/10.3368/le.92.4.641
Publication
Land Economics
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
0023-7639Type
Journal article
Collections
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