Consumer Policy and Governance
Liberalisation, globalisation and the retreat of the state in the provision of social security challenge traditional consumer policy. It is increasingly recognised by policy-makers that while withdrawing, the state maintains the duty to support and protect consumers in their everyday purchasing decisions. The more choices consumers have, the more support they need to make well-informed and responsible choices.
ConPolicy supports leaders in evaluating consumer policies and instruments. We propose measures to improve the mixture of instruments in such a way as to increase consumer welfare while at the same time minimising negative impacts on competition. Our research is defined by an evidence-based approach and benchmarking with other countries.
Key questions are:
- How should consumer policy be institutionalised to protect consumers and at the same time empower them to make well-informed and responsible purchasing decisions?
- What can be learned from other countries about the institutionalisation of consumer policy?
- How effective and efficient are various consumer policy instruments such as consumer information, education, advice, labelling, codes of conducts, standardisation, certification, admission restrictions, regulation of prices and fees, incentives, and bans and proscriptions?
Selected publications
Thorun, Christian: Financial regulatory reform - Lessons from the international debate, ConPolicy Policy Brief, 03/10/2010 (.pdf German version).
Thorun, Christian: Consumer information - Limits and requirements, ConPolicy Policy Brief, 02/17/2010 (.pdf German version).
Selected presentations
EU Commission: ECCG Competition Working Group, How consumer organisations should deal with consumers’ competition complaints
Presentation, 24 April 2007, Brussels
German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology: Hearing on the 8th reform of German Cartel law
Expert hearing, 27 November 2006, Berlin
German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology: Hearing on competition and liberal professions
Expert hearing, 19 September 2006, Berlin
Consumption is the sole end and purpose of all production; and the interest of the producer ought to be attended to, only so far as it may be necessary for promoting that of the consumer.
Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations