Title: Is more information always better? An analysis applied to information-based policies for environmental protection

Authors: Douadia Bougherara, Gilles Grolleau, Naoufel Mzoughi

Addresses: INRA, UR122 Economie et Sociologie Rurales, F-35000 Rennes, France. ' INRA, UMR1135 LAMETA, F-34000 Montpellier, France. ' INRA, UR767 Ecodeveloppement, F-84000, Avignon, France

Abstract: Environmental policy has intensively focused on information-based instruments that seek to change agents| behaviour through information provision. This information provision is generally considered as likely to ultimately improve environmental quality. We suggest a new and complementary way to consider information-based instruments. We formalise the insight that information provision differs from information impact by introducing the concept of informational elasticity. We show that, beyond an optimum level, an additional information load, regardless of the information quality, could do more harm than good. Indeed, some perverse effects could occur, resulting in a worse overall impact. Several policy and strategic implications, such as the potential conflict with the normative right-to-know principle and the manipulation of |information overload|, are stressed.

Keywords: information overload; information provision; informational elasticity; environmental policy; environmental information; sustainable development; sustainability.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSD.2007.017643

International Journal of Sustainable Development, 2007 Vol.10 No.3, pp.197 - 213

Published online: 25 Mar 2008 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article