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Björn Vollan

@bjoernvollan.bsky.social

610 followers 220 following 20 posts

Professor of economics and head of the research group "Sustainable Use of Natural Resources". Researching adaptation to climate change, resource governance and aspects of human behavior related to sustainable development. bjoernvollan.wordpress.com .. more

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Political science 23%

Sociology 20%

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Reposted by Michael Weintraub, Björn Vollan

Steven Durlauf @durlauf.bsky.social · Dec 8

1/ This very important paper by Tim Conley and Morgan Kelly is now forthcoming.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

The standard errors of persistence

Many studies of historical persistence find that modern outcomes strongly reflect characteristics of the same places in the distant past. However they…

www.sciencedirect.com

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Björn Vollan @bjoernvollan.bsky.social · Jul 24

Who needs formal evaluations when your students hand you a bottle of beer after the final lecture?

Björn Vollan @bjoernvollan.bsky.social · Feb 16

War USAID nicht hauptsächlich für Gesundheitsthemen zuständig? Gerade in dem Bereich wo es positiven Impact gibt (Malaria, HIV, etc.)...? Scheint daher mehr ein Angriff auf den politischen Gegner zu sein als evidenzbasiertes handeln

Björn Vollan @bjoernvollan.bsky.social · Dec 13

Das heimtrikot

Björn Vollan @bjoernvollan.bsky.social · Nov 28

We suggest that frameworks like participatory decision-making, citizens’ assemblies, or community dialogues are better suited to integrate relational values. These methods make space for nuanced trade-offs between cultural ties and practical needs. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Pitfalls of monetizing relational values in the context of climate change adaptation

Relational values emphasize the desirable characteristics of nature–society relationships. Unlike instrumental values, relational values have not yet been subjected to monetary quantification, alth...

www.tandfonline.com

Björn Vollan @bjoernvollan.bsky.social · Nov 28

Relational values are hard—maybe impossible—to monetize. But that doesn’t mean they should be overlooked. Nor should they dominate adaptation planning entirely, as this could risk sidelining practical and instrumental considerations.

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Björn Vollan @bjoernvollan.bsky.social · Nov 28

The Results:
1️⃣ WTP alone doesn’t capture the depth of relational values. People value cultural connections but struggle to express this in monetary terms.
2️⃣ Budget preferences reflected relational concerns more effectively, especially in Bangladesh

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Björn Vollan @bjoernvollan.bsky.social · Nov 28

We examined whether relational values in the Solomon Islands and Bangladesh could be quantified using monetary tools like:
- Willingness to Pay (WTP)
- Preferences for government budget allocation

👉 Can relational values be monetized?
👉 If so, do these metrics capture their full significance?

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Björn Vollan @bjoernvollan.bsky.social · Nov 28

Climate adaptation often relies on cost-benefit analyses to decide:
- Which projects to fund
- Where to invest resources
- Who gets protected
But what about the cultural, emotional, and ethical connections between people and nature—like seeing an atoll as part of your identity?

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Björn Vollan @bjoernvollan.bsky.social · Nov 28

#ClimateAdaptation is about the people and their connections to the places they call home. But what happens when the value of these connections is left out of the equation? Our new study @steimani.bsky.social @maxburger.bsky.social explores whether relational values can fit into monetary frameworks

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Björn Vollan @bjoernvollan.bsky.social · Nov 12

Local leaders with high solidarity are also trusted more by villagers, especially during crises. Those with high solidarity were named as key helpers after Typhoon Haiyan, reinforcing the importance of pro-social leadership during disasters.

Björn Vollan @bjoernvollan.bsky.social · Nov 12

We controlled for factors like income to isolate the unique election effect—showing that pro-sociality persists regardless of these influences. While councilors earn a small income, the collective work they engage in and their network positions enhance community solidarity.

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Björn Vollan @bjoernvollan.bsky.social · Nov 12

Results show that leaders make more pro-social decisions 2 and 6 years after election. Our study suggests that leaders might internalize villagers’ expectations. A follow-up experiment found that villagers expect elected leaders to be more generous.

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Björn Vollan @bjoernvollan.bsky.social · Nov 12

Democratic societies need leaders with strong intrinsic motivations to serve the public. Using a regression discontinuity design, we studied close elections to determine if being elected impacts leaders' pro-social choices.

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Björn Vollan @bjoernvollan.bsky.social · Nov 12

It seems the Special Issue on "Social Norms: Enforcement, Breakdown & Polarization" in EER is completed. Our paper "The Pro-Sociality of Local Democratic Leaders: Impact of Being Elected" explores how elections impact leaders' pro-social behavior www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti....

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Björn Vollan @bjoernvollan.bsky.social · Sep 21

While most delegates agree that a temperature rise above 1.5°C is unacceptable, techno-optimists were more willing to accept increases beyond 2°C. This disconnect between belief in tech and necessary emissions reductions poses risks for effective climate action.

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Björn Vollan @bjoernvollan.bsky.social · Sep 21

Paradoxically, those who believe most strongly in the power of tech innovation recommend lower carbon prices. But innovation should thrive under higher CO₂ prices, which incentivize technological breakthroughs. Without this push, innovation may not deliver fast enough.

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Björn Vollan @bjoernvollan.bsky.social · Sep 21

Delegates with higher techno-optimism were more likely to recommend books advocating for incremental changes over transformative solutions, such as Andrew McAfee's More from Less vs. Doughnut Economics by @kateraworth.bsky.social

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Björn Vollan @bjoernvollan.bsky.social · Sep 21

How was this mindset measured? Delegates were surveyed on their agreement with five statements about technological innovation (e.g., “Tech innovations like geoengineering offer suitable solutions to climate emergencies”). Responses formed the basis of their techno-optimism score.

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Björn Vollan @bjoernvollan.bsky.social · Sep 21

Paper rdcu.be/dTKUW
Techno-optimism, the belief that future innovations will mitigate climate change without major systemic changes, is prevalent among many climate delegates. The mindset can lead to delayed action / low recommended CO2 prices

Technology-minded climate delegates support less stringent climate policies

Nature Sustainability - Within high-level conferences devoted to climate or sustainability action, differences in views can lead to differences in policy. This study surveyed how delegates at COP24...

rdcu.be

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Björn Vollan @bjoernvollan.bsky.social · Sep 21

New paper with Donia Mahabadi and Max Burger in Nature Sustainability: Technological optimism among COP24 delegates is linked to support for less stringent climate policies. What does this mean for global #ClimateAction?

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