Support for the environment post‐transition? Material concerns and policy tradeoffs

Abstract

Though many individuals are aware of the need to address environmental concerns, fewer are willing to pay for climate action or think the environment should be a priority for government spending. One compelling reason is that they prioritize using scarce resources to address immediate material concerns. This is particularly likely for individuals facing absolute material scarcity or for those who think they are relatively economically worse off, especially in contexts characterized by rapid transformation and volatility in the levels and quality of social welfare provision. To test these expectations, we analyze survey data from formerly Communist economies, which today find themselves with vastly different fortunes. Empirical findings suggest that absolute and relative material scarcity affect opinions regarding government spending on, and the willingness to pay more for, environmental action. However, willingness to pay more for government public services, inclusive of anti‐poverty initiatives, has an impact on willingness to pay more for climate action, but in counter‐intuitive ways. Overall, the results appear to suggest that explicitly addressing and relating individual living standards and inequality with environmental concerns may expand support for climate action.

Whose Neighborhood Needs? Assessing the Spatial Distribution of Federal Community Development Funds

“…When confronted with competing pressures to create jobs, generate revenue, address community needs, and counteract social inequities, cities in federalist systems have historically prioritized economic growth (particularly, access to jobs) and fiscal stability over broader sustainability and social equity goals (Campbell 1996; Wolman and Spitzley 1996; Pagano and Bowman 1997; Zheng and Warner 2010; Deslatte and Stokan 2017; Hammer and Pivo 2017; Osgood, Opp, and DeMasters 2017; Zhang, Warner, and Homsy 2017; Liao, Warner, and Homsy 2019; Stokan, Deslatte, and Hatch 2021; Deslatte, Chung, and Stokan 2023; Moldogaziev et al 2023). Cities are sensitive to mobile citizens and businesses (Ostrom, Tiebout, and Warren 1961; Tiebout 1956), spurring them to offer efficient delivery of public services as a means of attracting and maintaining these constituencies (Brennan and Buchanan 1980).…”

Market‐based instruments and research infrastructures

“…"Though many individuals are aware of the need to address environmental concerns, fewer are willing to pay for climate action or think the environment should be a priority for government spending. "-This opening sentence of the article by Moldogaziev et al (2023) highlights the dilemma very well. The authors further investigate the drivers of willingness to pay more for climate action and government spending.…”