Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Effects of Higher Education in Economics, Law and Political Science on Perceptions of Responsibility and Sustainability

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Handbook of Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development in Higher Education

Part of the book series: World Sustainability Series ((WSUSE))

Abstract

Problems of environmental degradation are often conceptualized in terms of collective action dilemmas, and imply an increased demand for coordination and steering by public authorities. Social science is struggling with understanding how attitudes to collective action dilemmas and state intervention actually are formed. In the literature on environmental attitude formation, education is often claimed to be an important factor. It is argued for example that people with university degrees develop certain values essential for beliefs about personal responsibility and concern for the environment. Still there are a number of questions unanswered. For example, we know little about the effects of different educational programs. In this study we test the hypotheses by using a unique longitudinal data set based on surveys distributed to students in economics, law, and political science at seven universities in Sweden. Our results show a slight decrease in ascribed personal responsibility for environmental protection among the students after one semester. Instead, students ascribe an increased responsibility to various institutions and actors.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 249.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    For a more elaborated discussion about the data see www.lore.gu.se.

References

  • Carman, C. J. (1998). Dimensions of environmental policy support in the United States. Social Science Quarterly (University of Texas Press), 79(4), 717–733.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carter, J. R., & Irons, M. D. (1991). Are economists different, and if so, why? The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 5(2), 171–177.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chatard, A., & Selimbegovic, L. (2007). The impact of higher education on egalitarian attitudes and values: Contextual and cultural determinants. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 1(1), 541–556.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coulter, I. D., Wilkes, M., & Der-Martirosian, C. (2007). Altruism revisited: A comparison of medical, law and business students’ altruistic attitudes. Medical Education, 41(4), 341–345.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crawford, S. E. S. (2007). Will we ruin them for (civic) life? Analyzing the impact of teaching rational choice in introductory courses. PS: Political Science & Politics, 40(02), 387–391.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dawes, R. M. (1980). Social dilemmas. Annual Review of Psychology, 31, 169–193.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davies, P., Harring, N., & Lundholm, C. (in preparation). Does knowledge affect the choice of environmental policy instruments (EPI) among economics students?

    Google Scholar 

  • Dietz, T., Dolšak, N., Ostrom, E., & Stern, P. C. (2002). The drama of the commons. In E. Ostrom, T. Dietz, & N. Dolšak et al (Eds.), The drama of the commons. Washington DC: National Academy Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dietz, T., Stern, P. C., & Guagnano, G. A. (1998). Social structural and social psychological bases of environmental concern. Environment and Behavior, 30(4), 450–471.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frank, B., & Schulze, G. G. (2000). Does economics make citizens corrupt? Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 43(1), 101–113.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frank, R. H., Gilovich, T., & Regan, D. T. (1993). Does studying economics inhibit cooperation? The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 7(2), 159–171.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Franzen, A., & Vogl, D. (2013). Two decades of measuring environmental attitudes: A comparative analysis of 33 countries. Global Environmental Change, 23(5), 1001–1008.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frey, B. S., & Meier, S. (2003). Are political economists selfish and indoctrinated? Evidence from a natural experiment. Economic Inquiry, 41(3), 448–462.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frey, B. S., & Meier, S. (2005). Selfish and indoctrinated economists? European Journal of Law and Economics, 19(2), 165–171.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grouzet, F. M. E. (2014). Development, changes and consolidation of values and goals in business and law schools the dual valuing process model. The Oxford Handbook of Work Engagement, Motivation, and Self-Determination Theory M. Gagné, Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guimond, S., Begin, G., & Palmer, D. L. (1989). Education and causal attributions: The development of “person-blame” and “system-blame” ideology. Social Psychology Quarterly, 52(2), 126–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guimond, S., Dambrun, M., Michinov, N., & Duarte, S. (2003). Does social dominance generate prejudice? Integrating individual and contextual determinants of intergroup cognitions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(4), 697–721.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guimond, S., & Palmer, D. L. (1990). Type of academic training and causal attributions for social problems. European Journal of Social Psychology, 20(1), 61–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hardin, G. (1968). The tragedy of the commons. Science, 162, 1243–1248.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Harring, N., & Jagers, S. C. (2013). Should we trust in values? Explaining public support for pro-environmental taxes. Sustainability, 5(1), 210–227.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harring, N., & Jagers, S. C. (2015). Why and how higher education affects attitudes to environmental state intervention. Conference paper. Midwest Political Science Association Annual Meeting, April 2015, Chicago.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harring, N. (2016) Reward or punish? understanding preferences toward economic or regulatory instruments in a cross-national perspective. Political Studies, 64(3).

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, R. E., & Dunlap, R. E. (1992). The social bases of environmental concern: Have they changed over time? Rural Sociology, 57(1), 28–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klineberg, S. L., McKeever, M., & Rothenbach, B. (1998). Demographic predictors of environmental concern: It does make a difference how it’s measured. Social Science Quarterly (University of Texas Press), 79(4), 734–753.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koos, S. (2011). Varieties of environmental labelling, market structures, and sustainable consumption across Europe: A comparative analysis of organizational and market supply determinants of environmental-labelled goods. Journal of Consumer Policy, 34(1), 127–151.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mansbridge, J. (2014). The role of the state in governing the commons. Environmental Science & Policy, 36, 8–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marquart-Pyatt, S. T. (2012). Contextual influences on environmental concerns cross-nationally: A multilevel investigation. Social Science Research, 41(5), 1085–1099.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marwell, G., & Ames, R. E. (1981). Economists free ride, does anyone else? Experiments on the provision of public goods, IV. Journal of Public Economics, 15(3), 295–310.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Newman, T. P., & Fernandes, R. (2015). A re-assessment of factors associated with environmental concern and behavior using the 2010 General Social Survey. Environmental Education Research, 1–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olson, M. (1965). The logic of collective action: Public goods and the theory of groups. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ostrom, E. (1998). A behavioral approach to the rational choice theory of collective action. The American Political Science Review, 92(1), 1–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • SFS. (1992). Högskolelag (the higher education act), SFS 1992:1434. Stockholm, Sweden: Department of Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sidanius, J., Sinclair, S., & Pratto, F. (2006). Social dominance orientation, gender, and increasing educational exposure1. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 36(7), 1640–1653.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steiner, J. (1990). Rational choice theories and politics: A research agenda and a moral question. PS: Political Science & Politics, 23(01), 46–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • United Nations. (2005). 59/237. United Nations decade of education for sustainable development. United Nations General Assembly, New York NY 24 February, 2005, United Nations.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Liere, K. D., & Dunlap, R. E. (1980). The social bases of environmental concern: A review of hypotheses, explanations and empirical evidence. The Public Opinion Quarterly, 44(2), 181–197.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, L., Malhotra, D., & Murnighan, J. K. (2011). Economics education and greed. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 10(4), 643–660.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Political Science, University of Gothenburg, Box 711, 405 30, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Niklas Harring

  2. Department of Humanities and Social Science Education, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden

    Cecilia Lundholm & Tomas Torbjörnsson

Authors
  1. Niklas Harring
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Cecilia Lundholm
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Tomas Torbjörnsson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Niklas Harring .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. FTZ-ALS, HAW Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

  2. Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, University of Passo Fundo , Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    Luciana Brandli

  3. Department of Life Sciences, Centre for Functional Ecology, University of Coimbra , Coimbra, Portugal

    Paula Castro

  4. Office of Sustainability, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge, USA

    Julie Newman

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Harring, N., Lundholm, C., Torbjörnsson, T. (2017). The Effects of Higher Education in Economics, Law and Political Science on Perceptions of Responsibility and Sustainability. In: Leal Filho, W., Brandli, L., Castro, P., Newman, J. (eds) Handbook of Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development in Higher Education . World Sustainability Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47868-5_10

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation