Potter concludes that the theory of consumerism can certainly point
citizens in the right direction with respect to improving service quality;
however, ultimately, as an economic concept, “the theory of consumerism
cannot address the political question of how power might be more extensively
shared between the governors and the governed, the administrators and the
administrated” (1988, 156). As already noted, the theory of consumerism
starts with an imbalance of power. The key question for government is how
far government is willing to go in redressing that imbalance of power between
providers and users or citizens.