Varieties of Political Consumerism (eBook)

From Boycotting to Buycotting

Carolin V. Zorell (Autor)

eBook Download: PDF

2018 | 1st ed. 2019
XV, 188 Seiten
Springer International Publishing (Verlag)
978-3-319-91047-5 (ISBN)

Infos

This book provides an analysis of the politics of consumption and how the 'educated consumer' plays a vital role in advancing responsible market practices and consumption. Based on a comprehensive interdisciplinary perspective, it explores the extent, drives and links of boycotting, buycotting, labelling schemes and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in 20 European countries. A central question addressed is whether macro-societal patterns of orientation concerning the roles of the state, companies and citizens can explain individual and cross-national differences in boycotting and buycotting. As the book shows, there is not one type of 'political consumer', but several, and their occurrence is directly connected to national variations of labelling schemes and Corporate Social Responsibility. Consumers need reference points and information on the political backgrounds of purchases, and policy makers must address that need through political measures which fit to the national patterns in views about cooperation and market relationships.

Carolin V. Zorell is Researcher at the University of Mannheim, Germany. Her research interest lies especially in the political and socio-psychological background of social interaction, and the inquiry of how context and personal characteristics form political participation and social cooperation.

Inhalt

Preface 5
Acknowledgements 9
Contents 11
List of Figures 12
List of Tables 13
Chapter 1: Revising Our Understanding of Political Consumerism 14
The Rise of Political Consumerism 14
Explaining Boycotting and Buycotting Involvement 18
Political Consumerism as a Multi-Layered Process 21
The Analytical Framework and Data Used in the Book 25
The Set-Up of the Country Study 26
Operationalising Boycotting and Buycotting 28
Operationalising the Concept of the State 29
Operationalising Labelling Schemes 30
Operationalising CSR 31
Overview of the Country-Level Data 31
The Individual-Level Study 32
Modes of Political Consumerism 33
Assessing Individuals’ Concept of the State 34
Confidence in Labelling Schemes 35
Confidence in CSR 36
Plan of the Book 37
References 41
Chapter 2: Perspectives on Political Consumerism 50
Political Consumerism in Political Science 50
Recognising Consumerism as Political Participation 51
Conceptual Varieties of Political Consumerism 54
Sociological Accounts of Political Consumerism: The Citizen-Consumer Hybrid 61
Political Consumer Behaviour from a Social Psychology Perspective 64
Values, Attitudes and Behaviour 65
The Use of Cognitive Short-Paths 70
Résumé: The Citizen, the Consumer and the Politically Consuming Citizen 74
References 77
Chapter 3: Explaining Political Consumerism 89
Evolving Duties and Responsibilities in the Economic-Political Realm 89
New Challenges in a New Environment 90
On the Varieties of Capitalism 95
Trust and Confidence in the Citizen-Consumer Sphere 99
Putting the Pieces Together: A Multi-Layered Model on Political Consumerism 106
References 110
Chapter 4: Political Consumerism at the Country Level 119
Introduction 119
Explaining National Variations in Boycotting and Buycotting 120
Reviewing Common Explanations 120
Patterns Within Countries 122
Non-Political Consumerism 123
From Non-Political Consumerism to Buycotting 125
Boycotting 126
From Boycotting to Buycotting 129
The Comparative Prevalence of Political Consumerism, CSR, and Labelling Schemes 131
Boycotting and Buycotting In and Across Countries 135
References 138
Chapter 5: Political Consumerism at the Individual Level 141
Introduction 141
Political Consumerism and Its Socio-Demographic Antecedents 142
Individual Variants of Political Consumerism 146
Getting Involved or Not in Political Consumerism 147
Buycotting Products or Firms 149
Boycotting 154
Boycotting and Buycotting Products 158
Two Stages of Political Consumer Participation 160
General Observations 160
Refining the Observations 162
From Boycotting to Buycotting 165
Appendix: Questions and Variables Used in the Individual-Level Study (translated from German) 168
Boycotted 168
Buycotted Products 168
Buycotted Firms 168
Concept of the State 168
General Trust 169
Confidence in Labelling Schemes 169
Confidence in CSR 169
References 173
Chapter 6: Political Consumerism as a Multi-Layered Process 177
Investigating the Aims Underlying Boycotting and Buycotting 177
The Varieties of Political Consumerism 178
Patterns at the Macro-Level 179
Modes of Political Consumerism at the Individual Level 180
Integrating the Micro- and the Macro-Level Observations 181
Putting the Findings into Perspective 181
Reflecting the Understanding of Political Consumerism in Political Science 181
Counterbalancing Problematics Expounded by Social Psychology Research 184
From Varieties of Capitalism to Varieties of Political Consumerism 186
On the Future of Political Consumerism 188
References 192
Index 195

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 2.10.2018
• Zusatzinfo: XV, 188 p. 12 illus., 8 illus. in color.
• Verlagsort: Cham
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Politik / Verwaltung ► Vergleichende Politikwissenschaften
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Soziologie
• Themenwelt: Wirtschaft ► Betriebswirtschaft / Management ► Marketing / Vertrieb
• Schlagworte: boycott • buycott • citizen-consumer hybrid • Citizenship • consumer disaffection • Corporate Social Responsibility • political consumerism • Political participation • Value Orientations
• ISBN-10: 3-319-91047-7 / 3319910477
• ISBN-13: 978-3-319-91047-5 / 9783319910475