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School of Public Policy
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta GA
Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Defense:
By:
MALLORY ELISE FLOWERS
GREEN CERTIFICATION PATHWAYS:
The Roles of Public Goods, Private Goods, and Certification Schemes
Monday, October 17, 2016
2:00pm
School of Public Policy
D.M. Smith Room 303
Committee:
Daniel C Matisoff (Chair)
John P Walsh
Gordon Kingsley
Beril Toktay
Douglas S Noonan
Abstract:
This manuscript will investigate aspects of voluntary certification design and implementation, focusing on the provision of public and private goods towards certification, orientation to signaling schemes, and changes over time. The interdisciplinary nature of this study allows the work to leverage literature from economics, management, and organizations to improve our understanding of self-regulation. The introduction will introduce these perspectives, and describe the data used. Each subsequent chapter develops testable hypotheses from the literature or formal models of behavior, and then analyzes quantitative and qualitative evidence from unique data on the green buildings industry.
Chapter 1 examines many how the design of various eco-labels promotes particular mixes of public and private goods, noting relationships between this mix and program sponsorship, feasibility, credibility, and popularity. Chapter 2 assesses a single green label, LEED, and presents project attributes in terms of public goods and orientation to signaling schemes. This chapter presents a typology useful for describing noise in green signaling that arises predictably from strategic choices made by different types of organizations aiming to signal different types of stakeholders. Diving deeper into the second dimension of the typology, Chapter 3 investigates LEED project orientation to signaling schemes as opposed to specific green attributes associated with certification, and how this changes over time. Results may suggest a Race to the Top in green buildings, attributable to learning and norm formation. Chapters 4 and 5 continue assessment of trends over time for LEED buildings, revealing how increasingly symbolic participation confers greater private gains over time, and how policy coercion impacts this trend, respectively.
This dissertation defense is open – all faculty members and students are invited to attend the examination and participate in the discussion. For further information, contact the Graduate Programs Coordinator, Georgia Tech School of Public Policy at (404) 894-0417; email: sppgrad@pubpolicy.gatech.edu. For a copy of the dissertation abstract or any questions please e-mail Mallory Elise Flowers at mflowes8@gatech.edu.
