Individual Behavior, the Social Sciences, and Climate Change

22 Pages Posted: 6 Aug 2015 Last revised: 13 Aug 2015

See all articles by Michael P. Vandenbergh

Michael P. Vandenbergh

Vanderbilt University - Law School

Benjamin K. Sovacool

Science Policy Research Unit; Boston University - Department of Earth and Environment; Department of Business Technology & Development

Date Written: July 27, 2015

Abstract

Individual behavior is an important aspect of climate mitigation. After an initial focus on large industrial sources, developments in the social and behavioral sciences and legal theory in the 1990s and early 2000s have supported the development of new initiatives targeted at individuals and households. The initiatives have included local, state, and national government use of traditional regulatory measures, market mechanisms, and behavioral interventions. In recent years, gridlock in the US and other countries over climate policy also has led to increasing use of private and public-private hybrid initiatives in climate change mitigation. The complex influences on individual behavior and the challenges of designing and implementing large scale, effective interventions have resulted in large gaps in existing knowledge and many opportunities for research in law, policy, and social science.

Keywords: Individual Behavior; Households; Norms; Beliefs; Climate Change Mitigation

Suggested Citation

Vandenbergh, Michael P. and Sovacool, Benjamin K., Individual Behavior, the Social Sciences, and Climate Change (July 27, 2015). Vanderbilt Public Law Research Paper, 15-20, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2636465 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2636465

Michael P. Vandenbergh (Contact Author)

Vanderbilt University - Law School ( email )

131 21st Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37203-1181
United States

Benjamin K. Sovacool

Science Policy Research Unit ( email )

Falmer, Brighton BN1 9SL
United Kingdom

HOME PAGE: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/profiles/373957

Boston University - Department of Earth and Environment ( email )

Boston, MA
United States

Department of Business Technology & Development ( email )

Nordre Ringgade 1
Aarhus C, DK-8000
Denmark

HOME PAGE: http://pure.au.dk/portal/en/persons/id(fca10105-c4eb-4f0f-99a7-a354a8a8a47a).html

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