IMPACT OF MARKET FORCES ON ADDICTIVE SUBSTANCES AND BEHAVIOURS. THE WEB OF INFLUENCE OF ADDICTIVE INDUSTRIES

1: The global political economy of the addictive industries
2: The multiple voices of the corporation
3: The architecture of the addiction lobby
4: Astroturf, front groups, sock puppets, and the capture of civil society
5: The addiction thought collective: How think tanks foster addiction
6: Interlocking corporate networks in civil society
7: Corporate capture of science?
8: Addiction aware? Corporate Social Responsibility
9: Advertising addictions
10: Lobbying and policy capture
11: Conclusions: Prospects for untangling the addictions web of influence
Index

The differences between alcohol, food, gambling, and tobacco as consumer products are obvious. Yet research suggests that there are underlying similarities in the way that food, alcohol, and gambling industries are replicating the tobacco industry's strategy of attempting to influence and determine public health policy.

Impact of Market Forces on Addictive Substances and Behaviours examines the 'web of influence' formed by industries which manufacture and sell addictive products and trade associations and policy intermediaries such as lobbyists and think tanks in the EU. Using a new dataset on these corporate networks, it quantifies the strength of the connections between the actors in these webs, and uses this data to guide qualitative studies on the content of corporate strategy and, specifically, on corporations' attempts to 'capture' policy and three crucial ancillary domains: science, civil society, and the news and promotional media.

The study draws on the structural data to outline the comprehensive engagement of industry with policy issues at the EU and the ways in which corporations and stakeholders attempt to influence policy in their favour. It concludes by asking what kinds of solutions might be possible to the evident public health challenges posed by the addictions web of influence, and proposes key reforms that have the best chance of minimising the impact of disease stemming from addictions in European countries.

Impact of Market Forces on Addictive Substances and Behaviours is based on the research from ALICE RAP, a multidisciplinary European study of addictive substances and behaviours in contemporary society. This is an essential resource for public health researchers, policy makers in the addictive substance and behaviours field, and academics specialising in the fields of governance of addictive substances and behaviours and public health, as well as GPs and social workers wishing to supplement their knowledge on current addiction issues.

Features
• Presents the role of markets and corporations in relation to addictive substances and behaviours in the European Union member states plus Norway
• Utilises a unique dataset of corporate memberships and networks across the EU to document the overall architecture of corporate political activity
• Elucidates the current situation of industries that produce addictive substances and behaviours and the role they play in influencing addiction policy in the EU
• Presents a first-hand account of the current state of addiction governance in Europe

Authors
• David Miller, Professor of Sociology, Department of Social and Policy Sciences, University of Bath, UK.
• Claire Harkins, Programme Leader, MSc Contemporary Drug and Alcohol Studies, University of the West of Scotland, UK.
• Matthias Schlögl, PhD Candidate, Department of Social and Policy Sciences, University of Bath, UK; and Researcher, Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities, Austrian Academy of Sciences.
• Brendan Montague, Founder, Request Initiative, UK