Willingness to cooperate: Affirmative motivations among landowners

Andrea Heather Olive, Purdue University

Abstract

Why would small private landowners be willing to comply or cooperate with the Endangered Species Act (ESA), given that the law can impose limits on their material interests and rights as property owners? The dissertation argues that landowners possess affirmative motivations through morality and legitimacy that explain their willingness to (over) comply with the law. Landowners feel that the ESA accords with their own sense of right and wrong (morality) and that the ESA is just (legitimacy). In total 101 nonagricultural landowners were interviewed in three different states where non-charismatic and non-threatening endangered species inhabit private property. Future success of the ESA depends upon co-operative management between the Fish and Wildlife Service and private landowners so empirical data concerning the beliefs and values of landowners is essential. Overall, most landowners felt that conservation of endangered species and the regulation of private property for conservation purposes is moral and legitimate. Evidence of affirmative motivations to cooperate with the ESA among landowners is an important empirical finding because it suggests that landowners are willing to co-operate with regulators and voluntarily make land management decisions that benefit endangered species, a known public good.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Raymond, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Political science|Public administration

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