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Alcohol and European transformation
1National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health, Helsinki, Finland.
Addiction (Abingdon, England)
|March 1, 1997
Summary
Eastern and Western European societies show distinct alcohol-related changes during societal transitions. Comparing state, market, and civil society dynamics offers insights, though a unified European alcohol agenda remains unlikely.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Sociology
- European Studies
Background:
- The study is contextualized by discussions from the East-West seminar at the European Conference on Health, Society and Alcohol.
- It addresses the transformation processes in Eastern and Western Europe, focusing on health, society, and alcohol consumption.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the differences and similarities in alcohol-specific issues between Eastern and Western European transformation processes.
- To analyze how ongoing societal transitions impact alcohol-related phenomena across Europe.
- To explore the potential for a common European alcohol agenda.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of Eastern and Western European transformation processes.
- Examination of alcohol-specific issues within the context of state, market, and civil society dynamics.
- Discussion of international mobilization strategies for a European alcohol agenda.
Main Results:
- Societal transitions in Eastern Europe and integration in Western Europe present varied alcohol-related phenomena.
- Commercialization and market interests are insufficient to characterize all changes; the balance between state, markets, and civil society is crucial.
- Increased cooperation is observed across state, market, and civil society dimensions.
Conclusions:
- A comprehensive understanding of European alcohol-related changes requires considering the interplay of state, market, and civil society.
- While cooperation is growing, a singular, all-European alcohol agenda is improbable in the near future.