Matching grants are a prevalent mechanism for funding environmental, conservation, and natural resource projects. However, economists have largely been silent regarding the potential benefits of these mechanisms at increasing voluntary contributions. To examine the behavioral responses to...

In 1996 Johannesson et al. published a paper in this journal entitled “The Value of Private Safety versus the Value of Public Safety.” Based on preliminary evidence from a hypothetical contingent valuation study, these authors argue that consumers behave as “pure altruists” and reject...

"Warm glow" has been proposed as an explanation for public good contributions that exceed traditional theoretical predictions, yet little is known about why and when people exhibit warm glow in some voluntary settings. To investigate these issues, this research develops a model for the ``helping...

This paper utilizes laboratory and field experiments to test the use of a provision point mechanism to finance renewable energy programs, commonly known as green pricing programs. The mechanism solicits discrete contributions towards a provision threshold using a money-back guarantee for...

This paper utilizes field and laboratory experiments to test the use of a provision point mechanism to finance renewable energy programs, commonly known as green pricing programs. In contrast to most green pricing programs, relatively high participation is found in the field, while laboratory...