IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/diw/diwvjh/78-3-4.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Ökonomische Thesen zur Repräsentation von Verbraucherinteressen in Deutschland

Author

Listed:
  • Andreas Zahn

Abstract

The representation of consumer interests in Germany shows an insufficient consumer participation. Coincidentally, the political decision making process profits too little from the informative function of consumer interest groups. This article will demonstrate on the basis of current case studies the consequences both for the legitimisation of interest representation and possible false conclusions on the level of consumer protection. Consumer representation requires the knowledge of consumer interests. Taking an increased heterogeneity of the preferences into consideration, it is particularly important to carry out a target-orientated preference identification to deduce a frame for political decisions beyond a normative fundamental consensus. In doing so, the possibilities of new communication instruments should be considered. One should also create incentives to collect and to provide information on the level of institutions close to consumers. This mix of actions would allow for a more legitimate representation of consumer interests and also a differentiated composition of consumer protection instruments. Die Repräsentation von Verbraucherinteressen in Deutschland weist eine unzureichende Beteiligung der Verbraucher auf. Gleichzeitig wird die Informationsfunktion von Repräsentanten im politischen Entscheidungsprozess zu wenig genutzt. Die daraus resultierenden Legitimationsprobleme der Interessenvertretung sowie mögliche Fehlschlüsse bei der Determinierung des verbraucherpolitischen Schutzniveaus werden anhand aktueller Fallbeispiele aufgezeigt. Repräsentation erfordert die Kenntnis der Interessen der Verbraucher. Angesichts der Heterogenität der Interessen ist zur Konkretisierung eines Entscheidungsrahmens, der über einen normativen Grundkonsens der Verbraucherinteressen hinausgeht, in der Praxis eine direkte lösungsorientierte Präferenzermittlung erforderlich. Dazu sollten insbesondere auch die Möglichkeiten neuer Kommunikations- und Partizipationsprozesse genutzt werden. Es sollten aber ebenso Anreize zur Informationserhebung und -bereitstellung für verbrauchernahe Institutionen geschaffen werden. Dieser Maßnahmenmix würde eine legitimiertere Repräsentation der Interessen und eine differenzierte bedarfsgerechte Instrumentgestaltung des Verbraucherschutzes erlauben.

Suggested Citation

  • Andreas Zahn, 2009. "Ökonomische Thesen zur Repräsentation von Verbraucherinteressen in Deutschland," Vierteljahrshefte zur Wirtschaftsforschung / Quarterly Journal of Economic Research, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research, vol. 78(3), pages 63-80.
    • Handle: RePEc:diw:diwvjh:78-3-4
    DOI: 10.3790/vjh.78.3.63
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.3790/vjh.78.3.63
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.3790/vjh.78.3.63?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Roland Vaubel, 2006. "Principal-agent problems in international organizations," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 1(2), pages 125-138, June.
    2. Hellberg-Bahr, Anneke & Fahlbusch, Markus & Brümmer, Bernhard & Spiller, Achim, 2012. "Der Markt für Milch und Milcherzeugnisse," German Journal of Agricultural Economics, Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin, Department for Agricultural Economics, vol. 61(Supplemen), pages 1-19, February.
    3. van Winden, Frans, 1999. "On the Economic Theory of Interest Groups: Towards a Group Frame of Reference in Political Economics," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 100(1-2), pages 1-29, July.
    4. Fuest, Clemens, 2006. "Die Stellung der Ordnungspolitik in der Ökonomik," Wirtschaftsdienst – Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftspolitik (1949 - 2007), ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 86(1), pages 11-14.
    5. Fahlbusch, Markus & Bahr, Anneke & Brümmer, Bernhard & Spiller, Achim, 2009. "Der Markt für Milch und Milcherzeugnisse," Journal of International Agricultural Trade and Development, Journal of International Agricultural Trade and Development, vol. 59.
    6. Kenneth J. Arrow, 1950. "A Difficulty in the Concept of Social Welfare," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 58(4), pages 328-328.
    7. Mueller,Dennis C. (ed.), 1997. "Perspectives on Public Choice," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521553773, October.
    8. Mikael Klintman, 2009. "Participation in Green Consumer Policies: Deliberative Democracy under Wrong Conditions?," Journal of Consumer Policy, Springer, vol. 32(1), pages 43-57, March.
    9. Mueller,Dennis C., 2003. "Public Choice III," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521894753, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Axel Dreher & Katharina Michaelowa, 2008. "The political economy of international organizations," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 3(4), pages 331-334, December.
    2. Ortona Guido, 2016. "A commonsense assessment of Arrow’s theorem," Journal of Heterodox Economics, Sciendo, vol. 3(1), pages 54-62, June.
    3. Schnellenbach, Jan & Schubert, Christian, 2015. "Behavioral political economy: A survey," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 40(PB), pages 395-417.
    4. Isidoro Mazza, 2011. "Public Choice," Chapters, in: Ruth Towse (ed.), A Handbook of Cultural Economics, Second Edition, chapter 51, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    5. Benoît Le Maux, 2009. "Governmental behavior in representative democracy: a synthesis of the theoretical literature," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 141(3), pages 447-465, December.
    6. Stephen Drinkwater & Colin Jennings, 2007. "Who are the expressive voters?," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 132(1), pages 179-189, July.
    7. Matthias Benz & Bruno S. Frey, "undated". "Corporate Governance: What can we Learn from Public Governance?," IEW - Working Papers 166, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - University of Zurich.
    8. Carlos Scartascini & Mariano Tommasi & Ernesto Stein, 2010. "Veto Players and Policy Trade-Offs- An Intertemporal Approach to Study the Effects of Political Institutions on Policy," Research Department Publications 4660, Inter-American Development Bank, Research Department.
    9. Daniel Castellanos, 2005. "Arrow´S Impossibility Theorem Is Not So Impossible And Condorcet´S Paradox Is Not So Paradoxical: The Adequate Definition Of A Social Choice Problem," Documentos CEDE 2025, Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Economía, CEDE.
    10. Peter Kurrild-Klitgaard, 2018. "Public choice and political science: a view from Europe," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 175(3), pages 245-257, June.
    11. Zara Sharif & Otto H. Swank, 2019. "Do More Powerful Interest Groups Have a Disproportionate Influence on Policy?," De Economist, Springer, vol. 167(2), pages 127-143, June.
    12. Mazza, Isidoro & van Winden, Frans, 2008. "An endogenous policy model of hierarchical government," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 52(1), pages 133-149, January.
    13. Gawel, Erik & Lehmann, Paul & Strunz, Sebastian & Heuson, Clemens, 2018. "Public Choice barriers to efficient climate adaptation – theoretical insights and lessons learned from German flood disasters," Journal of Institutional Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 14(3), pages 473-499, June.
    14. Ikuho Kochi & Raúl A. Ponce Rodríguez, 2011. "Voting in federal elections for local public goods in a fiscally centralized economy," Estudios Económicos, El Colegio de México, Centro de Estudios Económicos, vol. 26(1), pages 123-149.
    15. Fabio Padovano & Ilaria Petrarca, 2013. "When and how politicians take ‘scandalous’ decisions?," Constitutional Political Economy, Springer, vol. 24(4), pages 336-351, December.
    16. Sadiraj, V. & Tuinstra, J. & Winden, F. van, 2001. "A dynamic model of endogenous interest group sizes and policymaking," CeNDEF Working Papers 01-03, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Center for Nonlinear Dynamics in Economics and Finance.
    17. Philip Jones, 2007. "Colluding victims: A public choice analysis of international alliances," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 132(3), pages 319-332, September.
    18. Göbel, Jürgen, 2009. "In search of an appropriate tax base for local Leviathans," MPRA Paper 13940, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    19. Bruno S. Frey, 2005. "Zwei Utopien jenseits des Weltstaates und der Anarchie," IEW - Working Papers 258, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - University of Zurich.
    20. Dennis Mueller, 2012. "James Buchanan, Gordon Tullock, and The Calculus," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 152(3), pages 329-332, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Consumer protection; information acquisition; asymmetric information; interest groups; representation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D18 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Protection
    • D78 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Positive Analysis of Policy Formulation and Implementation
    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:diw:diwvjh:78-3-4. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Bibliothek (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/diwbede.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.