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  4. Moral licensing - another source of rebound?
 
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2018
Journal Article
Title

Moral licensing - another source of rebound?

Abstract
The rebound effect denotes an offset in energy savings that occurs when an individual increases consumption of a good or service following an increase in its efficiency. It has both economic and psychological underpinnings: In addition to the price, income and substitution effects emphasized by economists, psychologists point to the influence of moral licensing, the cognitive process by which individuals justify immoral behavior (e.g., driving more) by having previously engaged in moral behavior (e.g., purchasing a more efficient car). The present review article provides a conceptual and empirical overview of moral licensing, drawing comparisons with economic explanations for the rebound effect. Based on a unifying theoretical model that illustrates how economic and psychological motivations trigger both rebound and moral licensing effects, as well as a review of microeconometric and experimental evidence, we conclude that consideration of moral licensing is warranted for judging the efficacy of policies targeted at energy consumption and the rebound effect.
Author(s)
Dütschke, Elisabeth  orcid-logo
Fraunhofer-Institut für System- und Innovationsforschung ISI  
Frondel, Manuel
RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung; Ruhr Univ. Bochum
Schleich, Joachim  orcid-logo
Fraunhofer-Institut für System- und Innovationsforschung ISI  
Vance, Colin
RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung; Jacobs Univ. Bremen
Journal
Frontiers in energy research  
Open Access
File(s)
Download (550.17 KB)
Rights
CC BY 4.0: Creative Commons Attribution
DOI
10.24406/publica-r-253213
10.3389/fenrg.2018.00038
Language
English
Fraunhofer-Institut für System- und Innovationsforschung ISI  
Keyword(s)
  • substitution effect

  • income effect

  • scale effect

  • moral licensing

  • moral cleansing

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