Abstract
Why do entrepreneurs choose to use consumer power as an alternative political channel in order to create social and political change? What are the conditions that lead them to adopt this strategy? The main purpose of this article is to offer a theoretical framework to discuss political consumerism strategy used by social entrepreneurs, those who seek to influence political norms in society, the conduct of the business market, and the shaping of public policy. The theoretical model, which this article intends to propose, is based on the new institutional approach (Neo-Institutionalism) and on the principles of the rational choice theory. The article suggests an explanatory variable in the form of political consumerism as an alternative means for political participation (alternative politics), which is influenced by structural, political, economic, and cultural conditions as well as by rational cost-benefit calculations made by entrepreneurs. For an empirical study of the proposed theoretical framework, the article analyzes two campaigns where the entrepreneurs employed political consumerism as a primary action strategy to promote issues related to social justice as institutional changes in Israel. The first of these was the campaign launched by the “Bema’agalei Tzedek” (“Paths of Righteousness”) Society for workers’ rights and the rights of the disabled; the second one was the campaign led by the consumer movement known as “Israel Yekara Lanu” against the cottage cheese producers as part of the social protest in the summer of 2011.
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©2015 by De Gruyter
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Switzerland’s Political Performance Compared: Determinants of a Success Story
- How Does May’s Law Work in Multi-dimensional Competition? Intra-party Opinion Structure in Catalonia
- Capacities, Expertise, Empowerment – Rethinking the Anthropology of Participation
- On Sensitivity and Disability: Political Consumerism, Social-Political Entrepreneurship and Social Justice
- Japan’s Economic Assistance to the Republic of Korea, 1977–1981: An Analysis within the Framework of the US-Japan Security Burden-sharing Scheme
- The Municipality as Negotiator in Multilevel Governance of Health Care
- Public Policy Design: How to Learn From Failures
- The Effects of Political Socialization Programmes: The Youth Parliament Experience in Brazil
- Using Discourse Network Analysis to Measure Discourse Coalitions: Towards a Formal Analysis of Political Discourse
- Paternalism, Public Health Ethics, and Equality
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Switzerland’s Political Performance Compared: Determinants of a Success Story
- How Does May’s Law Work in Multi-dimensional Competition? Intra-party Opinion Structure in Catalonia
- Capacities, Expertise, Empowerment – Rethinking the Anthropology of Participation
- On Sensitivity and Disability: Political Consumerism, Social-Political Entrepreneurship and Social Justice
- Japan’s Economic Assistance to the Republic of Korea, 1977–1981: An Analysis within the Framework of the US-Japan Security Burden-sharing Scheme
- The Municipality as Negotiator in Multilevel Governance of Health Care
- Public Policy Design: How to Learn From Failures
- The Effects of Political Socialization Programmes: The Youth Parliament Experience in Brazil
- Using Discourse Network Analysis to Measure Discourse Coalitions: Towards a Formal Analysis of Political Discourse
- Paternalism, Public Health Ethics, and Equality