Alcohol, Power and Public Health : A Comparative Study of Alcohol Policy

225 Pages·2017·2.6 MB·English

by  Shane Butler

Alcohol, Power and Public Health
Inrecentyears,thereductionofalcohol-relatedharmhasemergedasamajor
policy issue across Europe. Public health advocates, supported by the World
Health Organization, have challenged an approach that targets problem-
drinking individuals, calling instead for governments to control consumption
across whole populations through a combination of pricing strategies,
restrictions on retail availability and marketing regulations.
Alcohol, Power and Public Health explores the emergence of the public
health perspective on alcohol policy in Europe, the strategies alcohol control
policy advocates have adopted, and the challenges they have faced in the
political context of both individual states and the European Union.
The book provides a historical perspective on the development of alcohol
policy in Europe using four case studies – Denmark, England, Scotland and
Ireland. It explores the relationship between evidence, values and power in a
keyareaofpoliticaldecision-making andconsiderswhatconditionscreate–or
prevent – policy change. The case studies raise questions as to who sets policy
agendas, how social problems are framed and defined, and how governments
can balance public health promotion against both commercial interests and
established cultural practices.
This book will be ofinterestto academics and researchers in policystudies,
public health, social science, and European Union studies.
Shane Butler isa Fellow Emeritus of Trinity College Dublin,having previously
been Associate Professor at Trinity’s School of Social Work and Social Policy.
Karen Elmeland (1950–2016)conductedDanishalcoholresearchforalmostthree
decades.Sheistheauthorofthebook:Danishalcoholculture:intoxication,ritual
andregulation[Danskalkoholkultur:rus,ritualogregulering].DrElmeland’sspe-
cialinterestwasalcoholintoxication,prevention,andpolicy.Shepublishedwidely
inNordicjournals,booksandcontributedtoarangeofreports.
James Nicholls is Director of Research and Policy Development at Alcohol
Research UK.
Betsy Thom is Professorof Health Policy and Head of the Drug and Alcohol
Research Centre at Middlesex University, UK.
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Alcohol, Power and Public
Health
A Comparative Study of Alcohol Policy
Shane Butler, Karen Elmeland,
James Nicholls and Betsy Thom
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Firstpublished2017
byRoutledge
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©2017S.Butler,B.Thom,J.Nicholls,K.Elmeland
TherightofS.Butler,B.Thom,J.Nicholls,andK.Elmelandtobe
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BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData
AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData
Names:Butler,Shane,author.|Elmeland,Karen,1950-2016,author.|
Thom,Betsy,author.|Nicholls,James,1971-author.
Title:Alcohol,powerandpublichealth:acomparativestudyofalcohol
policy/ShaneButler,KarenElmeland,BetsyThom,JamesNicholls.
Othertitles:Routledgeadvancesinhealthandsocialpolicy.
Description:Abingdon,Oxon;NewYork,NY:Routledge,2017.|Series:
Routledgeadvancesinhealthandsocialpolicy|Includesbibliographical
references.
Identifiers:LCCN2016040049|ISBN9780415637466(hardback)|
ISBN9780203084557(ebook)
Subjects:|MESH:Alcohol-RelatedDisorders--prevention&control|
HealthPolicy|AlcoholDrinking--legislation&jurisprudence|Alcoholism--
history|Legislation,Food|History,20thCentury|Europe
Classification:LCCRC565|NLMWM274|DDC616.86/1--dc23
LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2016040049
ISBN:978-0-415-63746-6(hbk)
ISBN:978-0-203-08455-7(ebk)
TypesetinTimesNewRoman
byTaylor&FrancisBooks
This book is dedicated to our colleague and friend Karen
Elmeland, 1950–2016.
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Contents
List of illustrations viii
Acknowledgement ix
1 Introduction 1
2 Alcohol and public health: the EU context 36
3 Alcohol and alcohol policy in Ireland: historical background 55
4 Alcohol and public health in Ireland, 1975–2015 70
5 Alcohol and alcohol policy in England and Scotland: historical
background 94
6 Alcohol policy in Scotland, 1990–2014 114
7 Alcohol policy in England and Wales, 1990–2014 133
8 Alcohol and alcohol policy in Denmark: historical background 158
9 Alcohol policy in Denmark, 1985–2015 176
10 Conclusion: Alcohol, power and public health 195
Index 209
Illustrations
Figures
1.1 Diagnostic and political dimensions of alcohol policy 5
4.1 Alcohol consumption per capita adult (15+), 1975–2014 71
6.1 Litres of pure alcohol sold per adult in Scotland and England
and Wales 116
7.1 Estimated per capita consumption, 1971–2012 137
7.2 Annual UK consumption of beer andwine, 1965–2012 138
Tables
2.1 Average annual per capita alcohol consumption in EU countries
for adults 15+ (recorded consumption only), 2011 37
2.2 Alcohol-attributable standardized mortality rates (per 100,000
people), 2010 38
2.3 National strategies and national action plans in EU member
states, 2014 41
4.1 Irish alcohol policy developments 1975–1989 73
4.2 Irish alcohol policy developments 1990–1997 77
4.3 Irish alcohol policy developments, 2000–2015 83
9.1 Proportion of respondents who agreedwith the statement on
workplace drinking 188
9.2 Proportion of respondents who answered ‘too high’to the
following questions 189
9.3 Proportion of respondents who agreedwith the following
statements 189
Box
9.1 Major events and legislation, 1986–2012 180
Acknowledgement
Thanks are due to the following people who gave generously of their time to
talktousandreadandcommentonchaptersofthebook:RobBaggott,Evelyn
Gillan, Lesley Graham, Gerhard Gmel, Ann Hope, Esben Houborg, Torsten
Kolind, Jack Law, John O’Brien, Peter Rice, Bruce Ritson, and Robin Room.