En teori om konsumentmakt- Marknaden som en lösning på demokratiunderskottet?
DemocracyConsumer powerTransformationCSRGlobalizationCorporate behaviorSocial responsibilityConsumer politicsCitizen consumerSocial sciencesSamhällsvetenskaperSocial Sciences
How effective is consumer power? Can consumers regulate corporate behavior?And if so is the case, could the mechanisms where consumers regulate corporatebehavior have any democratic value to contribute with? These are the questionsthat this master's thesis comprehends with. The purpose of this writing is toconstruct a theory of consumer power that is compatible with democratic theory,this in order to contribute to the ongoing discussion within the discipline ofpolitical science about the third democratic transformation. A discussion that hasbeen actualized due to the democratic deficit created by the growing corporatepower and the shift of power from state to private enterprises. Besides showingfor a parallel between the democratic mechanisms that exists in the relationbetween citizens and state on the one hand, and the consumers and corporationson the other hand, this paper argues that consumers do have a great potential inregulating corporate behavior towards a higher social responsibility andawareness. This fact give rise to some democratic gains which makes the theoryof consumer power into a theory that should be included in the discussion aboutthe third democratic wave.