Consumers and Consumption in Comparison: Volume 37

Cover of Consumers and Consumption in Comparison

Table of contents

(12 chapters)
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Abstract

From 2021, prices began to rise sharply in many European countries without incomes keeping up. Under such circumstances, households partly depend on government intervention to moderate the effects of inflation. Segments of the population will also depend on welfare schemes to stay financially afloat and avoid severe detriment and poverty. This article asks how well welfare states protect households in a cost-of-living crisis. Based on Esping-Andersen's regime theory, two countries are investigated: the United Kingdom and Norway, which represent the liberal and the social-democratic model, respectively. The empirical analysis shows that both countries introduced first- and second-level measures to mitigate the cost-of-living crisis at the household level. The fall in financial well-being was greater in Norway than in the United Kingdom due to late and less generous second-level targeted payments to vulnerable households. However, while such support may alleviate the difficulties of dealing with price increases, it tends to be time-limited, while high prices persist following periods of rapid inflation. In conclusion, the ideal would be to have generous first-level permanent transfers that protect people's standard of living and to adjust the provisions promptly to compensate as prices increase.

Abstract

This chapter contributes to the literature on domestic food provisioning and food insecurity in contemporary Europe, focusing on lone-parent households living with a disability or long-term health condition, either of a parent and/or a child, in the United Kingdom and Denmark. Taking a comparative case approach, it examines parents' strategies to achieve food security through practices of ‘domestic food provisioning’ that draw on resources within and outside the household. Taking account of the multiple layers of context in which provisioning practices are embedded, this chapter identifies factors or mechanisms that enhance or reduce food security for families living with a disability or long-term health condition. At the micro-level of food preparation, these families experience challenges including cooking and requirements for labour-saving equipment, providing meals that meet the needs of selective eaters (often children), the need to rely on their children's help and for outsourced domestic labour through buying ready-made foods. At the meso-level of procurement and ‘physical access’ to shops, transport is crucial, with households experiencing differences in service provision. At the macro-level of national welfare systems and ‘economic access’ to food, this chapter points to evidence that Britain provides insufficient financial provision for those with a disability or long-term health condition compared with Denmark, differences reflected in the depth and rates of poverty and food insecurity between these countries. However, as the cases in both countries demonstrate, welfare benefits provide insufficient financial resources to access adequate nutritious food or meet customary norms.

Abstract

Trustworthy institutions are often seen as a way of maintaining high levels of collaboration in society. Yet, what characterizes individuals who trust that authorities will safeguard their consumer rights remains under-explored. This study addresses this gap by examining cross-national variations in trust that authorities protect consumer rights. In doing so, it explores whether and how one's in-market experiences and perception (experiencing problems or detriment and issues with product safety), knowledge of consumer rights, and one's socioeconomic resources are related to having confidence that public authorities protect one's consumer rights. In doing so, it partly accounts for national-level institutional and policy variation, by employing country and year fixed effects. The study employs multilevel hierarchical models on four rounds of surveys covering 30 European countries in the 2014–2020 period. The results support the hypothesis that trust is malleable, as negative experiences and market perceptions correlate with trust. Trust levels vary across groups with different access to socioeconomic resources. Knowledge of consumer rights does significantly correlate with the outcome, with a few exceptions. In sum, the study suggests a link between trust in public authorities and markets, which may lead to virtuous or vicious spirals of trust.

Abstract

The article examines the experiences of local activists involved in the food movement scene in Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, with the objective of comparing strategies in localising food movement politics and seeking scale for collective action through institutions. Specifically, it delves into the grassroots-driven, bottom-up development of food policies by neo-materialist movement organisations (NMMOs) asking why food has become a central focus, what these organisations do and who participates, and how and why strategies for working with local institutions are implemented. Success in food movements, as in other social change efforts, often depends on experimenting with different approaches to generating interest and expanding the movement among consumers. At the same time, activists emphasise the need to change the food system, typically by promoting the benefits of local produce and fostering connections between producers and consumers. These connections serve as a vital resource for collective action, as food allows movements to easily mobilise and engage with consumers' values and beliefs. Through a comparative analysis of local food activism across Bristol, Cologne and Rome, the study elucidates that while each context grapples with distinct challenges, such as reconciling administrative tensions in Rome or negotiating financial constraints and bureaucratic intricacies in Bristol and Cologne, all underscore the pivotal role of collaborative engagement with local authorities as a catalyst for effecting change in food systems and beyond.

Abstract

Presently, we are witnessing an increased public attention directed towards the negative impacts on climate and environment from food production and consumption. Policies aimed at changing consumption patterns are focused on voluntary measures, such as information and labelling schemes for consumers to make conscious choices in the market. However, such measures have proven to be of highly variable importance and only a small proportion of consumers consciously choose so-called ethical products when buying food. By a comparison of Europeans' valuations of chicken meat, we discuss the dynamics between individual processes and the social and contextual conditions for consumption changes. This study is based on national representative surveys carried out in seven European countries, and concerns peoples' valuations of indirect quality factors related to origin, animal welfare and their relation to producer, brand and production methods (organic, breed). Overall, the engagement varies considerably across Europe as well as in the sociodemographic patterns. We ascribe this variation mainly to cultural, social and institutional differences. This chapter concludes that despite European harmonization of regulations and integrated markets, the consumer role is shaped quite differently depending on cultural and social structures as well as institutional configurations and trust. These contextual conditions need to be considered when formulating policies on food consumption and food system transitions.

Abstract

This chapter explores the influence of gender on clothing consumption and the impact on differences in clothing volumes between men and women. Based on a qualitative and quantitative wardrobe study, we employ social ontology of practice combined with gender performance concept to examine the relationship between gender and clothing consumption in 15 households in Norway. The findings show that women had on average 497 items and the men had 258 items, and the main difference between male and female wardrobes was due to the number of items per occasion. These findings highlights the complexities and tensions faced by women in navigating clothing norms and maintaining a balance in the practice of dressing between appropriate dress, feminine expressions and having an ideal and more sustainable wardrobe. This chapter contributes to a better understanding of the interplay between occasions and gender dynamics that shape clothing consumption patterns. Moreover, it illustrates the potential of ‘occasion’ as an analytical concept and the implications of gender in clothing consumption, challenging the prevailing studies on clothing and fashion that often overlook the nuanced practices and actions that influence clothing volumes.

Abstract

Playing online games is a highly gendered consumption activity. While female players are objectified and harassed within the gaming community, male players tend to be stigmatized through unfavorable stereotypes. More than a label of players, ‘gamer’ forms an identity that can grant membership in gaming communities. The gamer identity is defined through consumption, yet material elements have been granted a minor role within studies of gender identity in video games. Through 41 play-along interviews with children and youth aged 10–24 years, this article seeks to understand how consumption patterns shape and reinforce gender identities in games, and by which market mechanisms gendered consumption patterns are maintained. By drawing on Social Identity Theory, the findings suggest ‘legitimate’ gaming is associated with gendered expectations for the choice of gaming consoles, types of games, and in-game products. These expectations are organized within a hierarchy among players, where certain consumption patterns are assigned greater value. When female players adhere to these consumption patterns, they may face harassment and strategic disadvantages. Additionally, transactional interactions between genders and household dynamics imply female dependence. These gendered consumption patterns are encouraged and enabled through market mechanisms such as game design and marketing ideas. The findings are discussed in terms of how gendered consumption influences membership in the gaming culture and encourages the promotion of inclusion in game design and gaming platforms.

Abstract

How to change consumption patterns remains one of the most wicked global sustainability challenges, and it is increasingly acknowledged that such wicked problems require interdisciplinary solutions. In this chapter, we ask what can be learnt from contrasting two approaches to sustainable consumption that only to a very limited extent interact. First, psychological approaches to consumption have been immensely influential concerning individual behavioural change, particularly through their theorisations of ‘nudge’ and ‘choice architecture’. Second, social practice theories (SPTs) have obtained a dominant position in sociocultural approaches to consumption, focusing on how bodily, social and material elements combine into taken-for-granted daily routines that make up shared patterns of (unsustainable) social life. Interestingly, despite the theoretical approaches' different ontologies and analytical loci, nudge theory and practice theories seem to end up in surprisingly similar recommendations for facilitating sustainable change. In this chapter, we explore the differences and similarities of two theoretical bodies that rarely interact, with the aim to explore the room for breaking out of disciplinary silos and investigate potentials for cross-field pollination. We use the empirical case of continuity and change in meat consumption, but the dynamics discussed are arguably relevant for all fields of consumption. We demonstrate that while cross-pollination between nudge and practice theories could potentially increase political attention as well as be used to deliver more precise and tailored interventions, the diverging ontological underpinnings of these directions of thought significantly reduce the potential for further co-development.

Abstract

This chapter examines prevailing Western imaginaries of future food consumption by identifying two distinct imaginaries. The first imaginary revolves around a technology-enabled efficiency regime, characterized by affordable prices, convenience and a diverse range of familiar food items. The second imaginary centres on a community-enabled quality regime, emphasizing ethics, sustainability, co-creation, nutrition and variation in food offerings. The imaginaries are illustrated through a comparative study of two Norwegian food provisioning platforms: the online grocery store ODA, representing the efficiency imaginary, and the alternative food network REKO-ringen, representing the quality imaginary. Drawing from a combination of qualitative interviews and online ethnography, this chapter provides an analysis of the socio-technical imaginaries embedded in ODA and REKO-ringen. This chapter shows how the contested role of technology is shaping future visions of food consumption. ODA adopts an ambitious approach, seeking to pioneer the future of food provision through extensive technological innovation. In contrast, REKO-ringen faces resistance against technological advancements within its organization. By shedding light on divergent imaginaries of future food consumption, this chapter contributes to a deeper understanding of the socio-technical dynamics influencing food choices and provisioning. The findings have implications for policymakers, industry stakeholders and consumers as they navigate the evolving landscape of food consumption.

Cover of Consumers and Consumption in Comparison
DOI
10.1108/S0195-6310202537
Publication date
2024-12-12
Book series
Comparative Social Research
Editors
Series copyright holder
Emerald Publishing Limited
ISBN
978-1-83549-315-1
eISBN
978-1-83549-314-4
Book series ISSN
0195-6310