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Brown Bag Seminar with Dr Alessandro Tampieri, University of Modena e Reggio Emilia Public Pro-Environmental Behaviour and the Transition to Environmentalism
Abstract: We analyse the effect of public pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) on sustainable consumption choices in the economy. We argue that observing individuals who are actively engaged in improving the quality of the environment encourages others to imitate them. We adopt a model of social learning in which individuals interact in pairs and choose their type based on different environmental attitudes and purchasing decisions. In our framework, public PEB increases the likelihood that individuals will meet others who openly engage in PEB, which affects their self-image and their concern for the environment. Finally, we assess how public PEB interacts with pro-environmental policies. We find that public PEB induces the population to adopt sustainable consumption and increases the effectiveness of related policies.