Does Eco-labeling of Services Matter? Evidence from Higher Education

被引:1
作者
Hickman, Daniel C. [1 ]
Meyer, Andrew G. [2 ]
机构
[1] Univ Idaho, Dept Business, 875 Perimeter Dr MS 3161, Moscow, ID 83844 USA
[2] Marquette Univ, Dept Econ, 606 N 13th St David Straz Hall, Milwaukee, WI 53151 USA
来源
B E JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ANALYSIS & POLICY | 2016年 / 16卷 / 04期
关键词
eco-labeling; information provision; educational economics; higher education; VIBAs; CORPORATE SOCIAL-RESPONSIBILITY; SELF-REGULATION; ENVIRONMENTAL-MANAGEMENT; VOLUNTARY; PROGRAM; PERFORMANCE; ECONOMICS; PARTICIPATION; ENROLLMENT; REDUCTION;
D O I
10.1515/bejeap-2016-0050
中图分类号
F [经济];
学科分类号
02 ;
摘要
Eco-labeling of services has become increasingly common, yet little empirical evidence exists concerning its effectiveness. We address this gap in the literature by analyzing a highly visible eco-label, the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), in the sector of higher education. We match information about the ACUPCC to the US Department of Education IPEDS database to examine the impact of signing on student applications, admissions, and enrollment. We mainly utilize a difference-in-difference approach to identify the effects of interest but confirm results with an interrupted time series model. We find that signing the ACUPCC increases applications and admitted students by 2.5-3.5 %. However, the evidence regarding enrollment is weaker with only some specifications finding increases of around 1-2 %. Overall, there is considerable heterogeneity across sectors and selectivity of the institutions. These results show that, at the minimum, voluntary and information-based approaches (VIBAs) for services can be effective in generating visibility and influencing less-costly consumer behavior.
引用
收藏
页数:18
相关论文
共 63 条
[1]  
ACUPCC Mission and History, 2014, 2 NAT
[2]   Assessing voluntary programs to improve environmental quality [J].
Alberini, A ;
Segerson, K .
ENVIRONMENTAL & RESOURCE ECONOMICS, 2002, 22 (1-2) :157-184
[3]   True for Your School? How Changing Reputations Alter Demand for Selective US Colleges [J].
Alter, Molly ;
Reback, Randall .
EDUCATIONAL EVALUATION AND POLICY ANALYSIS, 2014, 36 (03) :346-370
[4]   Does It Pay to Be Green? A Systematic Overview [J].
Ambec, Stefan ;
Lanoie, Paul .
ACADEMY OF MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVES, 2008, 23 (04) :45-62
[5]  
Angrist J. D., 1999, HDB LABOR EC A, V3, P1277, DOI DOI 10.1016/S1573-4463(99)03004-7
[6]  
[Anonymous], 2009, VOLUNTARY PROGRAMS C
[7]   AN EXPERIMENT IN VOLUNTARY ENVIRONMENTAL-REGULATION - PARTICIPATION IN EPAS 33/50 PROGRAM [J].
ARORA, S ;
CASON, TN .
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS AND MANAGEMENT, 1995, 28 (03) :271-286
[8]   Why do firms volunteer to exceed environmental regulations? Understanding participation in EPA's 33/50 program [J].
Arora, S ;
Cason, TN .
LAND ECONOMICS, 1996, 72 (04) :413-432
[9]   Toward a theoretical model of voluntary overcompliance [J].
Arora, S ;
Gangopadhyay, S .
JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC BEHAVIOR & ORGANIZATION, 1995, 28 (03) :289-309
[10]  
Bagnoli M, 2003, J ECON MANAGE STRAT, V12, P419, DOI 10.1162/105864003322309536