Lesch, Matthew orcid.org/0000-0002-3015-0937 and McCambridge, Jim orcid.org/0000-0002-5461-7001 (2022) A long-brewing crisis:The historical antecedents of major alcohol policy change in Ireland. Drug and Alcohol Review. pp. 135-143. ISSN 1465-3362
Abstract
Introduction: The Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 in Ireland has been hailed as a world-leading package of alcohol policy reforms. Existing studies have identified the events that led to alcohol emerging onto the high-level policy agenda in Ireland, particularly after 2009. Using policy feedback theory, this study specifically investigates the political consequences of accumulating alcohol-related health and social harms for processes of policy change prior to 2009. Methods: The study traces the development of alcohol policy in Ireland over the past three decades. It draws on primary documents, secondary literature and interviews with public health advocates, medical doctors, public health experts and key decision-makers. Results: The study documents a decades-long struggle to have alcohol recognised as a public health issue in Ireland. We identify 2008/2009 as the key turning point, where policy conditions decisively shifted in a public health direction. We show how insufficient institutional authority and the accumulation of the effects of earlier policy failures helped foster this dynamic. These two factors elevated the visibility of alcohol-related harm for key stakeholders, helping spur greater demand for major policy change. Discussion and Conclusions: Not acting on the population health harms caused by alcohol can produce significant societal costs, particularly when consumption is rising, and entail subsequent political consequences. Understanding of innovations in alcohol policy decision making requires an appreciation of the historical context, including earlier policy failures.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | Funding Information: This work was supported by the Wellcome Trust Investigator Award in Humanities and Social Science (200321/Z/15/Z) to JM. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Authors. |
Keywords: | alcohol,Ireland,policy failure,policy feedback theory,public health |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Health Sciences (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 09 Jun 2021 09:40 |
Last Modified: | 21 Jan 2025 17:54 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1111/dar.13331 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1111/dar.13331 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:175049 |