Local Community Characteristics and Cooperation for Shared Green Reputation.

This article examines how basic socioeconomic and political factors are associated with higher levels of cooperation to garner a local community's shared green reputation. We analyze panel data on participation efforts in a collective voluntary environmental program, the Ecological Blue Flag Program, by the entire population of beach communities in Costa Rica between 2001 and 2009. Collective voluntary environmental programs are relatively new and aim to improve environmental performance and shared 'green' reputation through joint participation and certification of multisector groups comprising businesses, governmental institutions, and nongovernmental organizations. Our results indicate that higher levels of within-community cooperation for shared green reputation are more likely in seashore localities with lower income inequality and/or a higher number of businesses. These findings run counter to research suggesting these same characteristics are associated with lower levels of cooperation in the management of common pool natural resources such as fisheries and forests. We also find that within-community cooperation is positively correlated with a greater proportion of expatriates from industrialized countries and/or with higher levels of democratic political participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

摘要 本文研究了基本的社会经济和政治因素如何影响地方社区在共享环保声誉方面的合作程度。我们分析了有关集体自愿环保项目参与度的面板数据, 即生态蓝旗项目。全体哥斯达黎加的沿海社区在 2001 年和 2009 年间都参加了这一项目。集体自愿环保项目是一个较新的项目。这一项目致力于通过商业机构、政府机构和非政府组织等多方的共同参与和认证来提高环保绩效和共享的 '绿色' 声誉。我们的结果显示, 针对共享环保声誉的高程度的社区内合作更易出现在收入不平等程度低和/或具有大量商业活动的海滨社区。这些发现与其它一些研究背道而驰。那些研究提出, 在诸如渔业和森林业等公共池塘资源管理领域, 同样的上述特征与低程度的合作相关联。我们还发现, 社区内合作也与高比例的工业化国家外派人员和/或高程度的民主政治参呈正相关。 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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