Willingness to pay for collective environmental goods -: Theoretical foundations and empirical analyses using the example of Biodiversity in forests

To determine the value of collective (environmental) goods, economists have come to rely on declarations of willingness to pay (WTP) as measured in surveys. The so-called WTP-analysis has developed into an important field of economic research. Its results are, in part, used in making political and legal decisions. This article proposes that sociology should start to engage in this area of research. Referring to the example of the monetary value of biodiversity in forests, we show that sociological theories can make a contribution to overcoming weaknesses in the economic model by explaining WTP. Based on an empirical study dealing with a program of ecological forest conversion, it can be demonstrated that compared to the conventional economic model, theories of sociology and social psychology do much better in predicting which persons, to what extent and for what reasons, are willing to spend money in order to improve biodiversity in forests.