Informality and the Media in Consumer Protection in Emerging Economies

Emerging economies have growing middle classes and growing consumer populations. Their legal systems, however, are often

ill-equipped to deal with these rapid social and economic changes, even when consumer laws and principles have been

transplanted from developed nations. In this project we will explore the extent to which individual consumers, civil society

groups and government agencies in three emerging economies (Indonesia, Turkey and Kenya) are turning to informal

mechanisms such as the media to voice complaints and seek redress against companies. Matching sets of data will be

collected on each country using a specially designed framework and media mapping strategy. This will be a scoping study to

provide preliminary evidence for a larger future grant application.