Using the Norm Activation Model to Predict the Pro-Environmental Behaviors of Public Servants at the Central and Local Governments in Taiwan

Wei-Ta Fang,Eric Ng,Yi-Te Chiang,Jen-Chieh Lo

doi:10.3390/su11133712

Wei-Ta Fang, Eric Ng + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su11133712

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Abstract

An understanding of the environmental value-action gap between public servants at the central and local governments is essential for the effective implementation of environmental policies, which is limited in the extant literature. This study has adopted the norm activation model to explore the pro-environmental behaviors of public servants at the central and local governments in Taiwan. A total of 7567 valid questionnaires were collected, and significant differences were evident between public servants at the central (n = 3400) and local (n = 4167) governments in personal norms, awareness of consequences, ascription of responsibility, and pro-environmental behaviors. Findings revealed that personal norms were the key factors predicting pro-environmental behaviors of public servants at both the central and local governments. Results also indicated that the awareness of consequences by public servants at the central government had a direct effect on their pro-environmental behaviors, which in turn had a significant effect on their ascription of responsibility. In contrast, awareness of consequences by public servants at the local government had no significant direct effect on their pro-environmental behaviors and had only a weak positive effect on their ascription of responsibility.

Highlights

There have been increasingly significant efforts put into addressing global environmental challenges in the recent years by different stakeholders from varying levels
The personal norms, awareness of consequences, ascription of responsibility, and pro-environmental behaviors were significantly greater for public servants in the central government than their counterparts serving in the local governments
The results showed that the pro-environmental behaviors of public servants at the central government were directly affected by awareness of consequences (β = 0.16, t = 4.439, p < 0.001, SE = 0.035) and ascription of responsibility (β = 0.33, t = 16.432, p < 0.001, SE = 0.020)

Summary

Introduction

There have been increasingly significant efforts put into addressing global environmental challenges in the recent years by different stakeholders from varying levels (e.g. individuals, businesses, governments). Despite the efforts to improve this, in recent years there is an increasingly significant problem relating to the environmental value-action gap between public servants at various administrative levels [8,9,10,11] This can be attributed to the recruitment of public servants being conducted by the central government in the form of a unified examination, where successful personnel are assigned to local administrative agencies based on their examination grades. Given the gaps in the extant literature about the environmental behaviors of public servants serving at different levels (i.e., central vs local) of the government, this study seeks to examine the personal environmental cognition and performance of public servants at the central and local governments in Taiwan Their impact on the implementation of environmental policies will be explored. This study will contribute towards related environmental behavior theories by extending further theoretical insights, such as the influencing factors of pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs), within the aforementioned context

Norm Activation Model

Hypothesis of the NAM

Participants and Procedure

Measures

Descriptive Findings

Correlation Analysis

Path Analysis and Structural Equation Model

Influence of Personal Norms

Influence of Awareness of Consequences

Influence of Ascription of Responsibility