The primary objective of this paper is to
examine the relationship that national culture has with growth rates in
environmental performance over a 10-year period. Given the global climate
challenges touching virtually every continent, the urgency for countries to
improve their environmental performance has never been greater. A country’s
citizens, its organizations - both governmental and non-governmental -
increasingly recognize the importance of finding ways to improve performance on
a national basis. This study examines the potential role that national cultural
values play in relation to improving a nation’s environmental performance over
time. In this study, differences in a country’s environmental performance over
the period of a decade are examined in relationship to a county’s cultural
values. In addition, an economic
component, a measure of gross domestic product, is also used in this study’s
research model. Using a variety of
statistical analysis procedures, including necessary condition analysis, the
results of this study suggest national culture does make a significant
difference in environmental growth rates. Results suggest that all but one of
the cultural dimensions examined in a 69-country database are necessary for
growth of environmental performance to take place. In addition, the results also suggest there
is one specific cultural dimension which may be particularly significant in
contributing specifically to the rate of growth in environmental performance
over a 10-year period. Potential
implications of this research for researchers, organizations, and governments
are briefly discussed.
