Stakeholder ownership: a theoretical framework for cross national understanding and analyses of stakeholder involvement in issues of substance use, problem use and addiction

This project contributes to understanding of the role of different stakeholder groups in the formulation and implementation of policy in the addictions field in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Poland and the UK. It comprises a number of case studies which draw on a range of theoretical frameworks to examine stakeholder dynamics at international, national and local levels. Mainly qualitative methods were used: interviews, policy and documentation analyses, webcrawler network analysis, and simple surveys; one case study was based on a survey only. The case studies fall into four main categories: three focus on controversial issues in drug treatment policy and practice – opioid substitution treatment, drug consumption rooms, and heroin assisted treatment; three look at stakeholder activity in alcohol control and public health; one pilot case study considers the potential role of researchers in the development of a scientific network around gambling; and one looks at the role of nurses in implementing brief interventions. In addition, themes explored across case studies included the role of evidence and stakeholder activity, drug users as stakeholders, and the role of external stakeholders on national policy. Professional stakeholders at implementation level and families and drug users as stakeholders are also considered. The case studies revealed that, in many instances, the addictions field is characterised by tensions between groups, by entrenched relationships between some addiction-specific stakeholder groups and powerful political stakeholders, and by the dominance of some forms of evidence over other forms of knowledge. Science and scientists are only influential in policy terms if their scientific findings ‘fit’ with the wider political context. Nevertheless, at least within the European context, there are opportunities for new stakeholder groups to emerge and gain policy salience and there are opportunities for stakeholders to challenge prevailing frames of understanding the addictions and prevailing modes of responding to problems of substance misuse and addiction.

This is a deliverable for a EU FP7 project under Grant Agreement nº 266813 - Addictions and Lifestyle in Contemporary Europe – Reframing Addictions Project (ALICE RAP) and has been made publicly available at the ALICE RAP website http://www.alicerap.eu/

The research leading to these results or outcomes has received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013), under Grant Agreement nº 266813 - Addictions and Lifestyle in Contemporary Europe – Reframing Addictions Project (ALICE RAP – www.alicerap.eu).
Participant organisations in ALICE RAP can be seen at http://www.alicerap.eu/about-alice-rap/partner-institutions.html.
The views expressed here reflect only the author’s and the European Union is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.