Comparative policy analysis for alcohol and drugs: Current state of the field

Ritter, Alison; Livingston, Michael; Chalmers, J. P.; Berends, Lynda; Reuter, Peter

doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2016.02.004

Cited by 36 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 89 publications

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“…The few comparative studies in this field have shown that, in a variety of socio-economic, cultural and political environments, countries may strongly differ in how they do, or do not, value and use scientific research in formulating or shaping policy (Nutley, et al, 2010;Ritter, et al, 2016). Thus, the dynamics of the policy-making processes as well as the roles of the different actors may change over time, across situations, interests and issues.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public scholarship and the evidence movement: Understanding and learning from Belgian drug policy development

Tieberghien¹,

Monaghan

2017

European Journal of Criminology

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Debates about public scholarship have gathered momentum in several fields including sociology and criminology. There is much debate over the nature of public scholarship and the forms it can take. In criminology one of the most influential analyses of public scholarship has been developed by Loader and Sparks. For these two thinkers part of the task of scholarship is to contribute to better 'politics'. In their hands, public criminology is close to another long-running analytical trend; research utilisation. The two literatures have for the most part remained separate. This paper puts Loader and Sparks' framework of public scholarship to the empirical test to see if and how it contributes to understanding the role and nature of evidence use in highly sensitive policy areas. We do this through an analysis of recent changes in Belgian drugs policy. We conclude that the framework of Loader and Sparks, although useful in illuminating how publicly engaged scholars can influence and mobilise more open and better informed public and political debate, is hamstrung, by its concentration on the action of individuals in isolation from the complex power structures that underpin the policy process. Synthesising lessons drawn from the research utilisation literature with the work of public criminology provides a potential way forward in understand the role of evidence in policy and also producing 'better' politics in this context.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public scholarship and the evidence movement: Understanding and learning from Belgian drug policy development

Tieberghien¹,

Monaghan

2017

European Journal of Criminology

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“…Ritter et al start starts with a crucial observation: “Comparative policy analysis is a diverse set of activities, undertaken by many different disciplines, all with their own approaches – it is not a unified field of study” (Ritter, et al, 2016)(p40). It is a good thing that contributors to CPA do not use the same theoretical frameworks, methods or designs.…”

Section: The Importance Of Defining and Classifying Cpamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Alcohol research, particularly in the road safety domain, has demonstrated the potential for rigor and impact in this tradition. In a 2016 review of 62 comparative policy analysis studies published since 2010, Ritter et al report that the practice lacks “a clear definition of what counts as CPA” and consensus on methods of “policy specification” (Ritter, Livingston, Chalmers, Berends, & Reuter, 2016) (“Ritter et al”). In an unpublished portion of the study, which I read as a peer reviewer and allude to with permission, the authors also noted the absence of explicit theory in nearly half the papers reviewed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Theory and methods in comparative drug and alcohol policy research: Response to a review of the literature

Burris

2017

International Journal of Drug Policy

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Comparative drug policy analysis (CPA) is alive and well, and the emergence of robust alternatives to strict prohibition provides exciting research opportunities. As a multidisciplinary practice, however, CPA faces several methodological challenges. This commentary builds on a recent review of CPA by Ritter and colleagues to argue that the practice is hampered by a hazy definition of policy that leads to confusion in the specification and measurement of the phenomena being studied. This problem is aided and abetted by the all-too-common omission of theory from the conceptualization and presentation of research. Drawing on experience from the field of public health law research, this commentary suggests a distinction between empirical and non-empirical CPA, a simple taxonomic model of CPA policy-making, mapping, implementation and evaluation studies, a narrower definition of and rationale for “policy” research, a clear standard for measuring policy, and an expedient approach (and renewed commitment) to using theory explicitly in a multi-disciplinary practice. Strengthening CPA is crucial for the practice to have the impact on policy that good research can.

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“…One of the limitations of attributing an effect to country-level bans is the lack of measures that could indicate the level of control enforcement in time and across the countries, which has been a limitation of many studies in the arena of drug policy (Ritter, Livingston, Chalmers, Berends, & Reuter, 2016).…”

Section: Limitations and Methodological Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the impact of laws controlling the online availability of 25I-NBOMe, AH-7921, MDPV and MXE – outcomes of a semi-automated e-shop monitoring

Běláčková

Pazitny

Drapalova

et al. 2017

Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy

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Assessing the impact of laws controlling the online availability of 25I-NBOMe, AH-7921, MDPV and MXE -outcomes of a semi-automated e-shop monitoring http://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/5432/ Article LJMU has developed LJMU Research Online for users to access the research output of the University more effectively. Copyright © and Moral Rights for the papers on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. Users may download and/or print one copy of any article(s) in LJMU Research Online to facilitate their private study or for non-commercial research. You may not engage in further distribution of the material or use it for any profit-making activities or any commercial gain.The version presented here may differ from the published version or from the version of the record. Please see the repository URL above for details on accessing the published version and note that access may require a subscription. Aims: The indicator of availability has been used in the risk assessment (RA) of new psychoactive substances (NPS). This paper aims to examine the pre-and post-control availability of 25I-NBOMe, AH-7921, MDPV and MXE, which were assessed by the EMCDDA. Methods: Data were collected by a semi-automated software tool (I-TREND SASF) on e-shops in national languages (Czech, French, Dutch, Polish and English) that offered shipping of these compounds into the respective countries; frequency analysis was used. Findings: The number of e-shops selling these substances decreased between III/2014 and XII/2015 (except for AH-7921). Both increases and decreases were found on the country-level for all the compounds (except for an overall decrease for MXE). In one instance an NPS disappeared from this market in 2015 (25I-NBOMe in NL); 25I-NBOMe and AH-7921 in France and AH-7921 in Poland appeared for the first time in 2015. The shops listing AH-7921, 25I-NBOMe and MDPV in XII/2015 ranked higher in terms of ''popularity'' than in III/2014. The IP addresses were more likely to be outside the EU in 2015 than in 2014. Conclusions: We found no evidence that national-level compound bans contributed to the changes in online NPS markets. Indicators of the accessibility, availability, popularity, and IP origin should be considered in RA. Data triangulation with street markets and the darknet is needed as well as more research into the ''displacement'' and ''replacement'' effects of control laws.

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Comparative policy analysis for alcohol and drugs: Current state of the field

Cited by 36 publications

References 89 publications

Public scholarship and the evidence movement: Understanding and learning from Belgian drug policy development

Public scholarship and the evidence movement: Understanding and learning from Belgian drug policy development

Theory and methods in comparative drug and alcohol policy research: Response to a review of the literature

Assessing the impact of laws controlling the online availability of 25I-NBOMe, AH-7921, MDPV and MXE – outcomes of a semi-automated e-shop monitoring

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