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