Beyond barriers: exploring the considerations hindering the adoption of green construction from a behavioural economics perspective

Abstract

Several academic researchers have investigated the barriers inhibiting the adoption of green construction. Numerous interventions including raising awareness through educational forums, monitoring and enforcement programmes, and financial incentives have been recommended as strategies to encourage the wider adoption of green construction. However, most of these interventions have failed to address the low adoption of green construction. This raises the question ‘Why’? Drawing on the insights from Behavioural Economics, specifically Game Theory and Prospect Theory, and the broad social sciences, it is proposed that it is at the individual level of choice that building construction stakeholders are reluctant to adopt green construction, and building construction stakeholders’ decision-making is influenced by the confluence of ‘elements’ which bring about the tendency for them to prefer non-adoption to adoption. Following this, this paper aimed at exploring the ‘considerations’ that can underlie the tendency for building construction stakeholders to prefer non-adoption to adoption through a literature review. Four key considerations were found. They are dilemma concern, trust in others’ actions, fear of being a sucker, and short-term self-interest. It is concluded that, when given empirical support, policies to increase adoption of green construction should address whichever consideration(s) that strongly hinder green construction adoption in a particular setting.