Do Boycotts Work?

Boycotts are big at the moment. On a global scale, many countries are boycotting Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. There are campaigns to boycott products produced in Turkey, Israel or China. Sporting boycotts are used by countries across the world to express their displeasure with their international rivals. And there are plenty of boycotts going on against companies, over working practices, supply chains and political stances. But international boycotts can be easily circumvented, and we can choose alternative products if we don't like a particular manufacturer. So is this low risk activism, or is it an effective way for ordinary people to hold businesses and nations to account? Do boycotts ever lead to permanent change? Above all, do they work? Journalist and writer David Baker investigates. Presenter: David Baker Producer: Ravi Naik Editor: Clare Fordham Sound Engineer: Nicky Edwards Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele Contributors: Caroline Heldman Associate Professor of politics at Occidental College, Los Angeles Stephen Chan Professor of World Politics at SOAS, University of London Mark Borkowski PR and Crisis Management agent Rob Harrison Director of Ethical Consumer Xinrong Zhu Assistant Professor in Marketing at Imperial College London Business School Richard Wilson Director and co-founder, Stop Funding Hate Professor Ellis Cashmore sociologist and cultural critic Ben Jamal Director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign Pinar Yildrim Associate Professor of Marketing at the Wharton (Business) School at the University of Pennsylvania