La svolta dei consumatori nella responsabilitŕ politica e nella cittadinanza

In: PArtecipazione e COnflitto: PACO = PArticipation and COnflict, Heft 3, S. 17-41

Abstract

- This article investigates how and why a growing number of civil society actors increasingly turn to the market as a complement to, or replacement of, traditional tools of political participation. After a discussion about its historical antecedents, the paper focuses on the present features of political consumerism. A section dedicated to theoretical issues introduces the concept of individualized responsibilitytaking to explain why societal roles as consumers should be considered as political agents with responsibilities for others. Two more sections aree also devoted to an investigation of political consumerism. The first section distinguishes eight broad issue areas where political consumerism is to be found, and identifies the role played by civic groups in prompting consumer action. The second section reports on a number of research findings on how civic groups inform and sensitize consumers about the public orientation of their consumption practices. The article ends with a few evaluative comments on the significance of the consumer turn in politics.Keywords: Political Consumerism, Individualized Responsibility-Taking, Market-Based Action Repertoire, Taming of Consumption, Sustainable Citizenship.