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Rhetoric and the law, or the law of rhetoric: How countries oppose novel tobacco control measures at the World Trade Organization

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  • Lencucha, Raphael
  • Drope, Jeffrey
  • Labonte, Ronald

Abstract

The tobacco industry has developed an extensive array of strategies and arguments to prevent or weaken government regulation. These strategies and arguments are well documented at the domestic level. However, there remains a need to examine how these arguments are reflected in the challenges waged by governments within the World Trade Organization (WTO). Decisions made at the WTO have the potential to shape how countries govern. Our analysis was conducted on two novel tobacco control measures: tobacco additives bans (Canada, United States and Brazil) and plain, standardized packaging of tobacco products (Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, EU and UK). We analyzed WTO documents (i.e. meeting minutes and submissions) (n = 62) in order to identify patterns of argumentation and compare these patterns with well-documented industry arguments. The pattern of these arguments reveal that despite the unique institutional structure of the WTO, country representatives opposing novel tobacco control measures use the same non-technical arguments as those that the tobacco industry continues to use to oppose these measures at the domestic level.

Suggested Citation

  • Lencucha, Raphael & Drope, Jeffrey & Labonte, Ronald, 2016. "Rhetoric and the law, or the law of rhetoric: How countries oppose novel tobacco control measures at the World Trade Organization," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 100-107.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:164:y:2016:i:c:p:100-107
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.07.026
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    2. Crosbie, Eric, 2019. "Removing the last billboard for the tobacco industry: Tobacco standardized packaging in Ireland," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 123(10), pages 932-935.
    3. Barlow, Pepita & Gleeson, Deborah & O'Brien, Paula & Labonte, Ronald, 2022. "Industry influence over global alcohol policies via the World Trade Organization: a qualitative analysis of discussions on alcohol health warning labelling, 2010–19," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 113820, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    4. Patricia A McDaniel & Ruth E Malone, 2020. "Tobacco industry and public health responses to state and local efforts to end tobacco sales from 1969-2020," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(5), pages 1-25, May.
    5. Madelyn Clark & Peter Magati & Jeffrey Drope & Ronald Labonte & Raphael Lencucha, 2020. "Understanding Alternatives to Tobacco Production in Kenya: A Qualitative Analysis at the Sub-National Level," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(6), pages 1-14, March.
    6. Barlow, P. & Thow, A.M., 2021. "Neoliberal discourse, actor power, and the politics of nutrition policy: A qualitative analysis of informal challenges to nutrition labelling regulations at the World Trade Organization, 2007–2019," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 273(C).
    7. Barlow, P. & Stuckler, D., 2021. "Globalization and health policy space: Introducing the WTOhealth dataset of trade challenges to national health regulations at World Trade Organization, 1995–2016," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 275(C).
    8. Patay, Dori & Schram, Ashley & Friel, Sharon, 2022. "The role of causal ideas in the governance of commercial determinants of health. A qualitative study of tobacco control in the pacific," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 314(C).
    9. Barlow, Pepita & Sanap, Rujuta & Garde, Amandine & Winters, L. Alan & Mabhala, Mzwandile A. & Thow, Anne Marie, 2022. "Reassessing the health impacts of trade and investment agreements: a systematic review of quantitative studies, 2016–20," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 113791, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.

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