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PurposeThis paper aims to explore how consumer groups with limited resources and means of action are able to resist market pressures and how they are sometimes able to modify corporate practices.Design/methodology/approachA case study was carried out in France concerning the mobilization of patients suffering from rare diseases. Two data sources are used: semi‐structured interviews and documentary sources.FindingsIn this extreme context, the activists fight to expand the reach of existing market institutions so that those who do not have access to a treatment can finally benefit from the existence of a drug. In order to reach this goal, activists need to collaborate with the incumbents so that the system can be reformed from the inside. Resistance then becomes a productive act of power for the targeted firms.Originality/valueThis paper emphasizes a case of minor resistance whose aim is not to radically change the market system but rather to propose moderate adjustments which would allow existing market institutions to extend their reach. It also underlines the cooperative and productive dimensions of certain acts of resistance. Finally, by highlighting a case of pro‐consumption resistance, this paper adds to the current debate on the distinction between resistance and anti‐consumption. |
