Независима информация за потребителите чрез сравнителни изпитвания

Contemporary economic theories endorse the understanding that the effective functioning of the market mechanism requires perfect competition in supply (classical economic theory) and a reasonable (behavioural economics) and informed decision (theory of information) by demand. One of the major problems in the practical functioning of the market is embodied in the fact that consumers cannot always make a reasonable and informed decision based on the most favourable for them quality price ratio. The questions raised by insufficient (asymmetric) information have been the subject of widespread debate in the scientific literature since the 1970s, while research on consumers’ possibilities to make a reasonable choice gained momentum in behavioural economics only in the last decade. Much of today's consumer research is based on the successful overcoming of information asymmetry in the practices of advanced market economies. They are manifested particularly in the establishment of effective systems for overcoming information deficits through legislative requirements to provide information on prices and individual product’s characteristics. At the same time, the development of voluntary disclosure schemes through comparative product quality testing, third-party certification schemes, etc. is encouraged. The development of market relations in Bulgaria after 1989 inevitably made the country face similar challenges, both in terms of competition in supply and in the widening deficit of information about demand. These challenges were largely addressed by the country's integration process into the European Union in 1998-2007, when European legislative requirements aimed at achieving functioning markets were adopted and harmonized. At the same time, the development of voluntary approaches to information disclosure is lagging behind and is characterized by sparseness and inconsistency. Comparative tests are rarely carried out in Bulgaria. This lag is associated with both typical historical factors (the development of market ...