Multidisciplinary perspectives on rebound effects in sustainability: A systematic review

The gains of sustainability-oriented interventions are threatened by the existence of so-called rebound effects (RE), i.e., higher-order effects of interventions arising due to systemic responses which partially or completely offset potential sustainability gains. While the number of theoretical and empirical studies exploring RE has proliferated, the literature remains highly fragmented and disordered. This paper aims to consolidate and systematize the body of empirical RE studies in its entirety to connect the disjointed literature and shed light on existing research gaps for the identification of future research avenues. Through a systematic literature review, six critical points are identified: (1) an under-exploration of certain RE (i.e., RE outside of direct and economy-wide RE initiated by (energy) efficiency at the household- and macroeconomic production-level); (2) uneven distribution of explored RE mechanisms (i.e., a narrow focus on monetary re-spending effects); (3) a lack of studies exploring the interrelatedness and interdependence of RE mechanisms; (4) a strong emphasis on generalized mechanisms and an underemphasis on context-dependent RE; (5) comparability problems associated with unharmonized RE magnitude estimation techniques and heterogeneity of RE cases; and (6) ambiguity surrounding RE definitions impeding interdisciplinary research. Finally, three research avenues for future research are proposed.