The Consumer Citizen

This path-breaking book shows that forms of thinking acquired in one personal or social domain may heavily influence thinking in others. It integrates literature from political science, economics, history, and elsewhere to theorize and show the importance of consumer thinking to politics and culture, primarily in the US but also overseas. It provides a novel and compelling approach to studying political attitudes and behaviors — and one that will surely guide the next generation of research. * James N. Druckman, Northwestern University *
A fascinating exploration of the influence of consumerism in politics that offers provocative insights into the surprising psychological interdependence of people's roles as citizens and consumers, with disturbing implications for people's ability to separate one from the other. * Michael Norton, Harvard Business School *
In an academically rigorous and delightfully relevant way, Ethan Porter argues that our lives as consumers and our lives as citizens have converged. As a result, he shows that the rules that help us navigate the supermarket are often applied to the far choppier waters of the political world. While some may see this as a cause for celebration and others for deep concern, its recognition should spark long overdue consideration about the nature of our multiple roles in society, and that way we seek and find meaning across them. * Cait Lamberton, The Wharton School *