Looking beyond the East-West divide? Re-appraising the willingness to pay for environmental quality in 19 European countries

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article explores the diversity in willingness to pay (WTP) for environmental quality, highlighting distinctions not only between Eastern and Western Europe but also within former communist countries (FCCs). We obtain mixed results, with little evidence of a generational shift in WTP across birth cohorts, more rapid societal shifts in non-FCCs, and higher levels of baseline WTP in Southeast European FCCs. Drawing on our findings, we advocate for approaches to environmentalism that move beyond the East-West dichotomy, instead examining alternative environmental practices that emerged in diverse cultural contexts, which can aid in addressing the global environmental crisis.