Unraveling the behavioral mechanisms underlying rebound effects of sustainability-oriented interventions
A qualitative comparative analysis
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22426366 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Imke G H van der Loo (0009-0005-1664-7022, Technical University of Denmark, corresponding author), Daniela C A Pigosso (0000-0001-7277-0360, Technical University of Denmark) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2026-12-31 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1548-7733 • E-ISSN: 1548-7733 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/15487733.2026.2616099 |
| OpenAlex | W7133192215 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 43 |
The effectiveness of sustainability-oriented interventions is threatened by rebound effects (RE), which offset the potential environmental gains due to behavioral and systemic responses. Nevertheless, research on the underlying behavioral mechanisms leading to RE remains limited. This study aims to identify combinations of conditions linked to the presence and absence of behavioral RE through the application of crisp-set qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), enabling the exploration of previously identified mechanisms as well as the proposal of new explanations for behavioral RE. In total, we analyzed four conditions across 57 cases derived from existing behavioral rebound studies. The results highlight one possible necessary condition for the presence of RE and two combinations of sufficient conditions for the presence and absence of RE. The results are translated into 11 hypothesized mechanisms, expanding the existing theoretical understanding of possible behavioral rebound mechanisms and their interdependencies. The applied methodological procedure can inspire other RE and QCA studies to move inductively from empirical data to hypothesized mechanisms. Additionally, the findings can enable practitioners to identify and prevent RE, possibly even triggering secondary benefits (SB), in the early stages of intervention development. This study concludes with a critical reflection on QCA in RE research and proposes directions for future studies.
Behavioral analysis · Behavioral economics · Behavioral modeling · Behavioural sciences · Psychological intervention · Qualitative comparative analysis · Energy, Environment, and Transportation Policies · Innovation Diffusion and Forecasting · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |