Economic cycle, labour market and pro-environmental behaviours. The case of separate waste collection in Italy

Pro-environmental behaviours have been studied extensively in the economic literature, with particular regard to the effects induced by unemployment. A key element that was little investigated in previous contributions consists in intrahousehold dynamics. This work provides a novel microeconomic framework describing the interaction between economic cycle and intrahousehold time allocation that is ultimately responsible for the adoption of pro-environmental behaviours. Intrahousehold differences in productivity represent a key assumption in this framework. The theoretical model is then tested empirically on recent Italian observations using Data Envelopment Analysis. Our results indicate that the most efficient allocations are attained in periods when joint drops in unemployment and female labour market participation (added worker effect) lead to intrahousehold specialisation.