Analysis of Decision Making and Incentives in Danish Green Web Applications

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

  • Christian Elling Scheele
Traditional information campaigns aimed at incentivising the kind of behaviour change that will lead to more sustainable levels of energy consumption have been proven inefficient. Politicians and government bodies could consider using green web applications as an alternative. However, there is little research documenting how such applications actually motivate behaviour change. There is a need for a better understanding of how such applications work and whether they are effective. This paper addresses the first question by demonstrating how three Danish green web applications employ different types of incentives.
Three key parameters are used to compare and analyse the different applications and the ways in which incentives are used. Three primary types of disciplinary approach are identified. The first approach uses incentives based on conventional economic gains. The second revolves around normative or behavioural gains. The third approach is based on a socio-psychological decision model in which values, attitudes and norms affect the choices we make. All three theoretical approaches aim at explaining decision-making in the context of energy consumption.
Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Transdisciplinary Environmental Studies
Volume12
Issue number1
Pages (from-to)17-29
Number of pages13
ISSN1602-2297
Publication statusPublished - 2013

ID: 101686213