Change of the West German Consumption Regime. Institutions, Information, and Communication (1949 to the Present)

该项目的目的是对1949年至今的德国消费制度进行广泛和系统的概述和分析。它通过考虑其（政府和非国家）机构和组织有关不同类别的消费（家用电器、保健和食品商品、金融服务），参与长期发展、分析和消费制度的变化。从历史的角度分析了它们的功能、沟通结构和消费者信息的传播方式、组织整合以及经济结构、监管政治和消费社会的背景。综观不同的发展阶段，就会提出西德消费社会的特点。该项目将阐明，消费者主权和消费者民主的模式是否可以在这半个多世纪的时间内在德国实施，而不是最后通过消费者沟通和信息的技术创新的支持。从长远来看，我们是否可以谈论德国消费制度的新阶段，或者我们是否必须承认一种赋予权力的幻觉和消费者的过度需求，这在另一方面唤起了越来越多的参与和国家在这一领域的新规定？

The intention of the project is o give a broad and systematic overview and analysis of the German consumption regime between 1949 and the present. It attends long-term developments, the analysis and the change of the consumtion regime by considering its (gouvernmental and nonstate) institutions and organizations concerning different categories of consumption (household appliances, commodities of health and foodstuff, financial services). The analysis refers to their functions, communications structures and the way of consumer informations, their organizational integration as well as the context of economic structures, regulatory politics and consumer society in historical perspective. Looking at different stages of development, it will be asked for characteristics of the West German consumer society. The project will clarify, if the model of consumer souvereignty and consumer democracy could be implemented in Germany within this period of time of more than half a century , not at last by the support of technical innovations of consumer communication and information. Can we in the long run talk about a new stage of the German consumption regime or do we have to concede an illusion of empowermen and an excessive demand of consumers, which on the other hand evokes a growing engagement and new regulations of the state in this field?