Using commitment to improve environmental quality
Lokhorst, A.M.
Citation
Lokhorst, A. M. (2009, September 17). Using commitment to improve environmental quality. Kurt Lewin Institute Dissertation Series.
DTP: Textcetera, Den Haag. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/1887/13998
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The making of commitments is often used as an intervention aimed at increasing pro-environmental behavior. Research shows that when people commit to changing their environmental behaviors, they tend to adhere to their commitments. In this dissertation it is investigated whether commitment making is effective in improving agricultural nature conservation and with that, environmental quality of farm lands. Furthermore, a conceptual review of commitment making is offered, as well as an experimental investigation of the conditions under which people are willing to make such commitments. Results show that commitment making combined with tailored information is indeed effective in improving farmers’ nature conservation. Several explanations of the effect of commitment making on behavior are offered. Also, it is shown that the willingness to invest in commitment making is contingent on the interplay of dispositional trust and situa- tional expectations. Taken together, this dissertation aims to provide the reader with a perspective on the entire process of commitment making: under which conditions people engage in it, if it is successful in altering behavior, and how it is successful.
Dissertatiereeks Kurt Lewin Instituut 2009-19
ISBN 978 90 76269 77 1
Using Commitment to Improve
Environmental Quality
Anne Marike Lokhorst
9 7 8 9 0 7 6 2 6 9 7 7 1
Anne Marike Lokhorst Using Commitmentto Improve Environmental Quality
This thesis is printed on Evolve paper: 100% recycled and made with a life cycle approach that aims to minimize its impact on the environment at every stage.
