Social opprobrium and compliance: Evidence from water conservation

Abstract

In this paper, I investigate the joint impacts of top-down targets and social opprobrium on aggregate compliance with government mandates for resource conservation. I use data on urban water usage, local agency enforcement, and reports of water waste by private citizens in California during a period of severe drought in which a year-long mandate for water conservation was imposed. During the mandate, private citizens engaged in opprobrium by “drought shaming” customers engaged in “water waste.” I find that increases in complaints regarding water waste led to increases in follow-up actions by local agencies, increased levels of cumulative water conservation, and increased compliance with state-mandated targets. The findings suggest that private citizen involvement in the form of social opprobrium is an important aspect of local agency compliance.