title: The Italian politics of alcohol: The creation of a public arena at the end of the 20th century.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Political concern with alcohol as a social problem arose in Italy only at the end of last century, when consumption and the death rate from alcohol-related causes had both been trending down for decades. The main aim of this case study is to investigate - applying Wiener's theoretical framework - the role of different stakeholders in the process that led to the approval of the first alcohol framework law in 2001.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fourteen individual interviews with stakeholders were conducted, covering all the main topics involved in Italian alcohol policies. In addition, 19 bills introduced in the Italian parliament were analysed to reconstruct the legislative process. Stakeholders' role was analysed, assessing their positions, contrasts and coalitions. The rhetoric employed in the course of public debate was also deciphered.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All three of the main processes used by Wiener to describe the building of a public arena around alcohol - animating the problem, legitimizing it and demonstrating it - were found. The Club of Alcoholics in Treatment and professionals working with alcoholics in Local Addiction Services appeared to be the most active groups in supporting the law. They did so by establishing a strong alliance, even if their visions about the problem and how to solve it differed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study showed that a shared vision is not as essential as 'combining for strength' in order to create a public arena around a social problem. Furthermore, not even scientific data are essential for demonstrating a problem, as the use of rhetoric seems to be more effective in building ideologies.
authors.affiliation: Eclectica, Institute for Training and Research, Italy. Electronic address: beccaria@eclectica.it.
authors.forename: Franca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Beccaria
authors.affiliation: Eclectica, Institute for Training and Research, Italy; University of Helsinki, Department of Social Sciences, Finland.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rolando
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000517:prevention & control; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003625:Data Collection; D006291:Health Policy; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D011057:Politics
keywords: Alcohol policy; Italy; Public arena theory; Social constructionism; Stakeholders