Can National Culture Affect the Implementation of Common Sustainable Policies? A European Response

Abstract

Businesses and researchers are increasingly seeking to understand the drivers of sustainability. Several recent studies have highlighted the effects of cultural factors when assessing environmental practices. While there is considerable research on the topic, we aim to provide additional evidence on the effects of cultural factors on environmental performance across countries. We propose that cultural factors affect sustainability strategies, although they depend on specific environmental issues. Little attention has been paid to the individual performance indicators forming the well-known global Environmental Performance Indicator (EPI) score when evaluating environmental performance. We use those individual indicators to identify specific environmental country-strategies depending on cultural and economic factors. The empirical analysis uses a sample of 31 European countries belonging to the European Environmental Agency, as they present common and aligned environmental strategies. The results show that despite common European objectives, country-specific environmental policies differ depending on Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. We also confirm that economic and innovation factors play an important role in the implementation of countries’ environmental policies in areas such as Ecosystem Vitality, Environmental Health, and water and sanitation.