Political Participation in the Age of the Citizen-Consumer
The last two decades have seen the promotion by successive governments of a new political actor, the citizen-consumer. Public policies have encouraged users of public services to perceive themselves as consumers, the voluntary sector has also increasingly adopted implicitly a model based on individualized collective action and encouraged a membership that is primarily financial and little demanding. This evolution, first noticeable in the social movement, has also been picked up by political parties. How has the political participation of British citizens evolved and their conception of the political? This paper will draw from research conducted in the last 10 years in British political parties and explore an agenda of research comparing parties with other organizations and forms of engagement. It will engage theoretically with questions relating to political participation and the role of the consumer-citizen in 21st century Britain