Motivating recycling behavior: A quasiexperimental investigation of message and source strategies

This research contributes to the area of environmental management by investigating strategic approaches to motivating increased citizen compliance with community recycling programs. Using a quasiexperimental design, direct behavioral observations and attitudinal and other survey data were drawn from 140 households in a northeastern metropolitan community, to test hypotheses related to the efficacy of different message appeal (fear, satisfaction) and source (advertising, publicity, personal) strategies. Although positive appeals yielded most favorable levels of beliefs and attitude toward recycling, the greatest increase in recycling behavior came in response to a negatively framed message conveyed by a personal acquaintance. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Can the Nation Afford Pensions?

Demography-the worsening ratio of the economically active to inactive-will make pensions in their present form unsustainable. Welfarism in the form of universal state pension provision for all can only wither-any individual wishing to do better than his neighbour will have to rely on his own savings.     

Exploring the dimensionality of the need for cognition scale

Based on evidence presented for the Need for Cognition Scale in its original and abbreviated versions, users of the instrument assume its unidimensionality. In three exploratory studies, maximum‐likelihood factor analysis reveals the presence of multiple dimensions in both forms of the scale. Four dimensions—enjoyment of cognitive stimulation, preference for complexity, commitment of cognitive effort, and desire for understanding —emerged with some consistency across samples and were found to be fairly resistant to changes in the polarity of scale items and to explain differentially consumer response to advertisements. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Intergenerational Equity: Treatment of Infrastructure in New Zealand Local Government Financial Planning

This paper examines how local government authorities plan and financially provide for infrastructure while considering the needs of current and future communities. In New Zealand the Local Government Act 2002 provides a mandate for local authority planning through the requirement to publish Long Term Council Community Plans (LTCCPs). Our content analysis of the LTCCPs, annual plans and annual reports of five New Zealand local authorities reveals that these local authorities make conscious decisions about infrastructure that reflect concern for matters of intergenerational equity. They do so despite problems in relation to valuation, depreciation, deferred maintenance and financing of infrastructure assets.     

Still No Economic Liberalism

The Conservative Government has long contended its allegionce to open markets and a liberal society. Lord (Jo) Grimond, a former leader of the Liberal Party, and an MP for 33 years, orgues that there is little sign of the emergence of such an attitude in economic and political thought since 1979. He calls for a more wholehearted adoption of the market by Conservotives and Alliance alike.