NCJ Number
56436
Journal
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MARKETING Volume: 12 Issue: 4 Dated: (1978) Pages: 253-263
Date Published
1978
Length
11 pages
Annotation
THE CONSUMER MOVEMENT BEGAN IN THE UNITED STATES IN THE 1960'S AND SPREAD WORLDWIDE, FINDING EXPRESSION IN MANY FORMS IN EUROPE AND JAPAN. IT HAS LOST ITS INITIAL DRIVE AS THE PROBLEMS OF EDUCATION AND IMPLEMENTATION PERSIST.
Abstract
THE INTERNATIONAL CONSUMERIST MOVEMENT REACHED ITS PEAK IN MOST COUNTRIES IN THE LATE 1960'S AND EARLY 1970'S. THIS WAS THE PERIOD WHEN THE DIVERSE ELEMENTS OF THE MOVEMENT WERE UNITED BY A SINGLE OVERWHELMING OBJECTIVE: THE DESIRE TO ENSURE THAT THE CONSUMER GOT A FAIR DEAL IN THE MARKETPLACE. THE MOVEMENT SOUGHT TWO GOALS: (1) BETTER CONSUMER INFORMATION AND EDUCATION AND (2) LEGISLATIVE RECOGNITION OF THE CONSUMER'S RIGHTS. CONSUMER INFORMATION MAGAZINES ARE FINANCED BY THE GOVERNMENTS OF FRANCE AND GERMANY; INDEPENDENT MAGAZINES ARE FOUND IN THE UNITED STATES, THE UNITED KINGDOM, ICELAND, AND NORWAY; AND GOVERNMENT TEST RESULTS ARE PUBLISHED IN BELGIUM, BRITAIN, DENMARK, FRANCE, THE NETHERLANDS, NORWAY, SWEDEN, AND THE UNITED STATES. INFORMATIVE LABELING AND PACKAGING AND BROAD-BASED CONSUMER EDUCATION PROGRAMS ARE ALSO FOUND WORLDWIDE. A NUMBER OF COUNTRIES HAVE ENACTED SOME FORM OF CONSUMER PROTECTION LEGISLATION. HOWEVER, THE COURTS OF LAW HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO IMPLEMENT THIS LEGISLATION. THE AMOUNTS IN CONSUMER LAW SUITS ARE SMALL AND THE COSTS OF RECOVERY ARE OFTEN MORE THAN THE SUM IN QUESTION. TO REMEDY THIS, CONSUMER ADVICE CENTERS WERE SET UP IN GREAT BRITAIN, LAW STUDENTS STAFF SIMILAR CONSUMER CENTERS IN THE NETHERLANDS, PUBLIC INTEREST LAW FIRMS SPRANG UP IN THE UNITED STATES, AND SPECIAL CONSUMER COURTS WERE ESTABLISHED IN SWEDEN AND YUGOSLAVIA. THE MOVEMENT HAS SLOWED DOWN BECAUSE OF PROBLEMS OF IMPLEMENTATION AND AN ANTICONSUMERISM BACKLASH AMONG SOME INDUSTRIES. THE STATE OF THE CONSUMER MOVEMENT IS BRIEFLY ASSESSED. REFERENCES ARE APPENDED. (GLR)