The organised consumer movement in global context
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Birmingham
Department Name: History and Cultures
Abstract
This project traces the rise of the international consumer movement since the Second World War. Organised, comparative-testing consumerism represents one of the largest social movements of the past century. It originated in the United States in the late-1920s and proved an inspiration for European consumers embarking upon a period of affluence after the Second World War. The 1950s saw the creation of several groups in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Britain (e.g., the Consumers' Association). These organizations of consumers, together with older consumer groups such as co-operatives and women's groups, were important influences on the consumer protection measures introduced across
the developed world in the 1960s and 1970s. However, the consumer movement also became an international force. In 1960, several private testing organisations founded the International Organisation of Consumers Unions (IOCU, now Consumers International), which has spread from the comparative testing model and taken into account the interests of developing world consumers, concerned less with value for money and more with the right to enjoy a basic standard of living. Today, the IOCU is based in London, but has thriving regional offices in Africa, Asia and Latin America and has around 25 members from over 100 different countries. The purpose of this project is to uncover this politics of international consumer society by exploring the principal organisations of consumer activism since the Second World War. It is about
the response of consumers to the affluent society of the 1950s and the economic conditions they found themselves living in. It is about too the emergence of third world consumer activism and the questions this raises about western affluence and global economic development. The consumer movement has thrived in countries across the developing world where the vast majority of the population has not been able to have access to the fruits of affluence. Consumer politics have continued to involve questions about not only bringing more choice to those who can afford it, but ensuring that all citizens can participate in consumer society in the first place.
This research builds on an exponentially expanding interest in the dynamics of consumption and consumer society, across several academic disciplines. The applicant has played a significant role in the development of this field and a number of studies have emerged which have examined the politics of consumption in various national contexts. Little, though, has been written on the growth of consumerism as an international phenomenon and it is this absence which the project seeks to correct. The aim of the project is to demonstrate the non-inevitability of the growth of consumer society. It contends that for much of the post-Second World War period, consumer society referred to increasing standards of living for everybody, not just in the west. Yet the notion of consumerism now generally used refers only to increasing choice for
those who can afford it. This, however, has been only one definition of consumer society and this project seeks to uncover the politics of choosing this particular form of 'consumerism'.
the developed world in the 1960s and 1970s. However, the consumer movement also became an international force. In 1960, several private testing organisations founded the International Organisation of Consumers Unions (IOCU, now Consumers International), which has spread from the comparative testing model and taken into account the interests of developing world consumers, concerned less with value for money and more with the right to enjoy a basic standard of living. Today, the IOCU is based in London, but has thriving regional offices in Africa, Asia and Latin America and has around 25 members from over 100 different countries. The purpose of this project is to uncover this politics of international consumer society by exploring the principal organisations of consumer activism since the Second World War. It is about
the response of consumers to the affluent society of the 1950s and the economic conditions they found themselves living in. It is about too the emergence of third world consumer activism and the questions this raises about western affluence and global economic development. The consumer movement has thrived in countries across the developing world where the vast majority of the population has not been able to have access to the fruits of affluence. Consumer politics have continued to involve questions about not only bringing more choice to those who can afford it, but ensuring that all citizens can participate in consumer society in the first place.
This research builds on an exponentially expanding interest in the dynamics of consumption and consumer society, across several academic disciplines. The applicant has played a significant role in the development of this field and a number of studies have emerged which have examined the politics of consumption in various national contexts. Little, though, has been written on the growth of consumerism as an international phenomenon and it is this absence which the project seeks to correct. The aim of the project is to demonstrate the non-inevitability of the growth of consumer society. It contends that for much of the post-Second World War period, consumer society referred to increasing standards of living for everybody, not just in the west. Yet the notion of consumerism now generally used refers only to increasing choice for
those who can afford it. This, however, has been only one definition of consumer society and this project seeks to uncover the politics of choosing this particular form of 'consumerism'.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Matthew Hilton (Principal Investigator) |
| Description | The principal aim was to complete a manuscript on organised consumerism since the Second World War. This I have done and within the timeframe provided by the period of the Research Leave. The manuscript brings together research material collected from 2003 to 2005 and puts them into a coherent narrative which speaks to debates about the meaning of consumer society in the contemporary world. It has assessed the role of consumer organisations in different national and global contexts, it has examined the importance of consumerism to notions of citizenship, it has answered questions as to the role of consumers in global civil society and it has addressed questions arising from the spread of consumerism into the developing world. At the same time, it has contribited to debates on social movements activism, globalisation and the meaning of consumer society, as well as offering a historical methodology that advances our approaches to studying global history. |
| Exploitation Route | The manuscript has been written in a clear and accessible manner, deliberately to reach as wide an audience as possible. Although I have sought an academic publisher, I have obtained a contract to ensure that this is an academic/trade crossover publication. My Publishers will publish the book in hardback, but priced competitively, and will then proceed to paperback, they have made various commitments to promote it more than other acefemic publications and to seek to ensure it is reviewed in niewspapers and journals beyond the academic world. |
| Sectors | Other |
| Description | Hilton's work on consumer politics had begun to influence policy debates prior to 2008 (e.g., Consumerism in Twentieth-Century Britain was cited and was heavily drawn upon by then Minister of Health, John Reid, in his 2005 speech, 'Social democratic politics in an age of consumerism'). The next project, focussing on Consumers International as a global NGO, was conceived in collaboration with the then Director General, Julian Edwards, such that the archives could be accessed in Kuala Lumpur. The research materials produced - that is, oral interviews - were then deposited in the archive of the NGO itself. The findings of Prosperity for All were then used for internal NGO reflection on the future of the organisation, specifically through Edwards' use of the volume for the production of its own anniversary history (Fifty Years of the Global Consumer Movement, available at: http://www.consumersinternational.org/media/33263/ci50ebook-english.pdf). Once a new Director-General, Joost Martens, was appointed in 2009 I was invited to the NGOs' HQ in London to speak to the senior staff about the history and future of consumer activism. As a consequence, a copy of my book was purchased for every member of the CI Council (comprising of consumer leaders from all over the world). This was then followed up with an interview with Harry Michaels in November 2010 as I advised CI on the development of their Strategic Plan for 2012-2016. More generally, it led to various media interviews (e.g., BBC Radio, Reuters, The Economist, Dagens Nyheter (Sweden)), blogs (e.g., Page 99 Test, Rorotoko) on the state of consumer politics and activism today and I participated at events such as that held at the Royal Society of Arts on 16 July 2009, chaired by the Chief Executive, Matthew Taylor, where I debated the meaning of consumerism with Neal Lawson, head of the think tank, Compass (http://www.talksandlectures.com/events/2064/76599?speaker_id=880) which was picked up by blogs (e.g., http://danielbenami.com/2009/07/17/rsa-consumerism-debate/). The message from my research at all of these events is that consumer society is more about ensuring all people have access to its benefits tan about ensuring that those who can already afford to participate have more individual choice. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2009 |
| Sector | Government, Democracy and Justice,Other |
| Impact Types | Policy & public services |