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Use of research in local alcohol policy-making

Ingeborg Rossow (Norwegian Institute for Alcohol and Drug Research, Oslo, Norway)
Trygve Ugland (Department of Politics and International Studies, Bishop's University, Sherbrooke, Canada AND Norwegian Institute for Alcohol and Drug Research, Oslo, Norway)
Bergljot Baklien (Norwegian Institute for Alcohol and Drug Research, Oslo, Norway)

Drugs and Alcohol Today

ISSN: 1745-9265

Article publication date: 7 December 2015

270

Abstract

Purpose

On-premise trading hours are generally decided at the local level. The purpose of this paper is to identify relevant advocacy coalitions and to assess to what extent and how these coalitions used research in the alcohol policy-making process concerning changes in on-premise trading hours in Norway.

Design/methodology/approach

Theory-driven content analyses were conducted, applying data from city council documents (24 Norwegian cities) and Norwegian newspaper articles and broadcast interviews (n=138) in 2011-2012.

Findings

Two advocacy coalitions with conflicting views and values were identified. Both coalitions used research quite extensively – in the public debate and in the formal decision-making process – but in different ways. The restrictive coalition, favouring restricted trading hours and emphasising public health/safety, included the police and temperance movements and embraced research demonstrating the beneficial health/safety effects of restricting trading hours. The liberal coalition of conservative politicians and hospitality industry emphasised individual freedom and industry interests and promoted research demonstrating negative effects on hospitality industry turnover. This coalition also actively discredited the research demonstrating the beneficial health/safety effects of restricting trading hours.

Originality/value

Little is known about how local alcohol policy-making processes are informed by research-based knowledge. This study is the first to analyse how advocacy coalitions use research to influence local alcohol policy-making.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors are most grateful for the valuable comments and suggestions by two anonymous reviewers on an earlier version of this paper.

Citation

Rossow, I., Ugland, T. and Baklien, B. (2015), "Use of research in local alcohol policy-making", Drugs and Alcohol Today, Vol. 15 No. 4, pp. 192-202. https://doi.org/10.1108/DAT-05-2015-0022

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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