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1 – 10 of 624Mai-Huong Vo, Ngoc-Anh Nguyen, Estelle Dauchy and Nuong Nguyen
This study aims to estimate the pass-through rate of the increases in the excise tax and TCF tax on tobacco in Vietnam. This study seeks to shed light on how the tax burden is…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to estimate the pass-through rate of the increases in the excise tax and TCF tax on tobacco in Vietnam. This study seeks to shed light on how the tax burden is split between consumers and producers and inform policy discussions in the country. Using panel micro-level data collected from three waves of a nationwide retailer's survey, this study provides an evidence-based pass-through estimation for tobacco tax in Vietnam and contributes to the understanding of tax policy on smoking and smoking-related issues.
Design/methodology/approach
Following increases in the excise tax and TCF tax on tobacco in 2019, the differential effect of the tax hike on the “treatment group” (domestic cigarettes) versus the “control group” (illicit cigarettes) using a difference-in-difference (DID) analysis has been studied. The study utilized unique longitudinal retailers’ data on cigarettes prices in Vietnam from 2018 to 2019 to estimate the tax pass-through rate for some of the most popular factory-made cigarette brands.
Findings
This study found evidence of an over-shifting of cigarette taxes on smokers. Specifically, it discovered that the tax increase is absorbed more by low-priced brand smokers compared to premium brand users due to (1) the limited increase in prices under a pure ad valorem system and (2) the way the Vietnamese currency is denominated. Additionally, there is evidence of cushioning to mitigate price shock on consumers as the real prices increase gradually over the period of one year after the tax change.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to collect and analyze a unique panel micro-level data from three waves of a nationwide retailers’ survey, which captures the changes in marketing and pricing strategies of the tobacco industry in Vietnam before and after an increase in excise tax in 2019. The results of this study could be used as a reference for future policymakers in considering increasing taxes on tobacco.
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Stefano Marzioni, Alessandro Pandimiglio and Marco Spallone
This article provides evidence of a long-term structural relationship between demand for heated tobacco products (HTPs) and for combustible cigarettes in a Marshallian demand…
Abstract
Purpose
This article provides evidence of a long-term structural relationship between demand for heated tobacco products (HTPs) and for combustible cigarettes in a Marshallian demand framework, using data from the Italian market.
Design/methodology/approach
A cointegration-based approach allows to capture the substitution effects between the two products arising for reasons (possibly) other than price.
Findings
The authors find that such a relationship exists and is sufficiently strong to constitute a cointegration.
Social implications
Since a fully consolidated consensus on reduced harm from smokeless tobacco products is absent, symmetric policies on both markets are therefore necessary in terms of regulation and excise incidence to minimize the social cost of substitution and to maximize government revenues, which are a necessary counterpart to negative externalities that arise with smoking both products.
Originality/value
This paper focuses on the Italian market with product specific volume and price data, both for cigarettes and HTPs. Because of the detected relationship, a regulatory trade-off arises in case of a relatively mild regulation on heated-tobacco products: benefits from decreasing demand for combustible cigarettes may be offset by the social cost of increasing consumption of heated tobacco products. Moreover, a milder regulation makes price related policies to curb smoking less effective.
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Heni Trisnowati, Abdillah Ahsan and Elisabeth Kramer
This paper describes the planning and implementation program of Remaja Berdaya Sehat Tanpa Rokok (JayaStar) or Empower Youth Healthy without Smoking (EYHWS). This is a pilot…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper describes the planning and implementation program of Remaja Berdaya Sehat Tanpa Rokok (JayaStar) or Empower Youth Healthy without Smoking (EYHWS). This is a pilot tobacco control program for smoking behavior with a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach in a rural area of Indonesia.
Design/methodology/approach
This research used the participatory rural appraisal (PRA) method. The paper would describe three stages of the JayaStar program that started from diagnosis, planning action and taking action. Participants in this research were all youths aged 17–25 years including as many as 33 people. The key informants were the village head, the hamlet head, the hamlet head’s wife, the youth leader, health promotion officers at the Pleret Health Center and the Health Promotion Section of the Bantul Health Office.
Findings
The determinants of the youth empowerment process are divided into (1) predisposing factors, (2) group structure and (3) group climate. It has an important role in the success of the youth empowerment process in smoking behavior control. The implementation of the JayaStar program consisted of (1) outbound, and training with the theme of increasing self-potential; (2) training on the impact of cigarettes/vapors on the health of youths; (3) discussion and practice of making health campaign videos; (4) parenting program with the theme of the important role of parents in creating a healthy and superior young generation; (5) declaration and inauguration of JayaStar volunteers.
Originality/value
This research is an example of a successful community-based youth project that resulted in a demonstrable positive outcome. It demonstrates the importance of good relations between stakeholders. The JayaStar movement could be a potential model for youth empowerment projects to control smoking behavior among future generations in Indonesia.
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Mariana Baldi, Frank G.A. de Bakker and Rodrigo Luís Melz
This study aims to analyse the strategic moves used by major tobacco corporations to thwart the ratification of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to analyse the strategic moves used by major tobacco corporations to thwart the ratification of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in Brazil.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a detailed historical case study spanning 1988–2005 and encompassing the period leading up to Brazil’s FCTC ratification. The authors collected qualitative data from various sources to triangulate and develop a comprehensive historical account.
Findings
The historical analysis identified three distinct phases. First, the acquisition of a Brazilian cigarette factory, Souza Cruz, by British American Tobacco dramatically altered power dynamics, strengthening the position of the tobacco industry. The second phase regards the era of dictatorship and the efforts of various actors advocating against smoking and the tobacco industry. The third phase involved Brazil’s re-democratisation and the challenges of securing FCTC ratification, during which fierce industry opposition had to be overcome. Throughout these phases, the authors identified four key strategies used by multinational corporations (MNCs) in Brazil to uphold unsustainable practices and products that contradicted public interests instead of reforming them: shaping collective memory, dissimulation, re-presentation and redirecting attention.
Originality/value
This study contributes to critical international business research on emerging economies by examining how Brazil’s position in the global capitalist system has influenced its dependency and how MNCs produce and maintain cycles of poverty and unsustainable practices through the exploitation of power dynamics within the country.
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Stephanie von Hinke, Jonathan James, Emil Sorensen, Hans H. Sievertsen and Nicolai Vitt
This chapter shows the prevalence, trends and heterogeneity in maternal smoking around birth in the United Kingdom (UK), focussing on the war and post-war reconstruction period in…
Abstract
This chapter shows the prevalence, trends and heterogeneity in maternal smoking around birth in the United Kingdom (UK), focussing on the war and post-war reconstruction period in which there exists surprisingly little systematic data on (maternal) smoking behaviours. Within this context, the authors highlight relevant events, the release of new information about the harms of smoking and changes in (government) policy aimed at reducing smoking prevalence. The authors show stark changes in smoking prevalence over a 30-year period, highlight the onset of the social gradient in smoking as well as genetic heterogeneities in smoking trends.
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This study investigates the frequency and specificity of health-related issues discussed during the East Java Indonesia Gubernatorial Election Campaign 2018.
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates the frequency and specificity of health-related issues discussed during the East Java Indonesia Gubernatorial Election Campaign 2018.
Design/methodology/approach
The research utilized a mixed-methods approach, combining topic modeling and qualitative thematic analysis, to analyze 4,023 online news articles from March to June 2018. From the data sources obtained in terms of time frame, this research can be categorized as a retrospective study because it examines origins from events that have already occurred.
Findings
The study found that health issues accounted for only 6% of all gubernatorial election news in each selected online media portal. The health issues identified were categorised into eight groups: health financing and facilities, health workforce, malnutrition and stunting, leprosy, cigarettes and tobacco, healthy lifestyles, pregnancy and breastfeeding, and disability. The study also reveals a need for increased attention to health-related issues in political campaigns and media. By focusing on the health-related issues raised during the campaign, the study provides valuable insights into the gaps and priorities in addressing the health needs of the East Java population. The research framework used in this study offers a valuable approach for analyzing online data sources using qualitative analysis capacity. The study can improve health policies and outcomes in the local election campaign by raising awareness of health issues and promoting informed decision-making among voters.
Research limitations/implications
This research limitation is a local political campaign case in Indonesia. The research indicates that health issues receive limited coverage during election campaigns, suggesting a lack of emphasis on health as a critical issue among East Java's electorate.
Originality/value
The study can improve health policies and outcomes in the local election campaign by raising awareness of health issues and promoting informed decision-making among voters.
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Cory Callahan and Bahtije Gerbeshi Zylfiu
Here the authors thoroughly explore a field-tested exchange of ideas, a discussion. The authors share a robust discussion script that models a wise-practice pedagogical approach…
Abstract
Purpose
Here the authors thoroughly explore a field-tested exchange of ideas, a discussion. The authors share a robust discussion script that models a wise-practice pedagogical approach for promoting civic competence [problem-based historical inquiry (PBHI)] and then describe precisely how the discussion is an exemplar of that approach.
Design/methodology/approach
Scores of teachers and teacher educators have participated in this discussion in real-world classroom settings. This was first experienced during a professional development seminar at the University of Prishtina in Kosovo when the first author, working with Kosovar colleagues including the second author, led this seemingly impromptu discussion of major values in conflict over the issue of whether Kosovo's government should make tobacco use illegal. This has since been implemented in several undergraduate and graduate education courses in the United States of America.
Findings
The discussion script contains two types of text: (1) traditional text – default formatting – which constitutes the semi-structured wording a discussion leader would say aloud and (2) supplementary text – italicized formatting – that provides educative suggestions for professional development.
Originality/value
Finally, the authors share suggestions for revising this discussion for future iterations and ways teachers and teacher educators can further develop the skills for facilitating discussions.
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Damion Waymer and Theon E. Hill
The purpose of this paper is to contribute to science communication literature by further highlighting the underexplored role of organizational and corporate perspectives in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to contribute to science communication literature by further highlighting the underexplored role of organizational and corporate perspectives in science communication.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper takes the form of a conceptual article that uses two illustrative vignettes to highlight the power of corporate science communication.
Findings
The key argument is that corporate science communication is a compound ideology that results from merging the hegemonic corporate voice with the ultimate/god-term science (see the work of Kenneth Burke) to form a mega-ideological construct and discourse. Such communication can be so powerful that vulnerable publics and powerful advocates speaking on their behalf have little to no recourse to effectively challenge such discourse. While critiques of corporate science communication in practice are not new, what the authors offer is a possible explanation as to why such discourse is so powerful and hard to combat.
Originality/value
The value of this paper is in the degree to which it both sets an important applied research agenda for the field and fills a critical void in the science communication literature. This conceptual article, in the form of a critical analysis, fills the void by advocating for the inclusion of organizational perspectives in science communication research because of the great potential that organizations have, via science communication, to shape societal behavior and outcomes both positively and negatively. It also coins the terms “compound ideology” and “mega-ideology” to denote that while all ideologies are powerful, ideologies can operate in concert (compound) to change their meaning and effectiveness. By exposing the hegemonic power of corporate science communication, future researchers and practitioners can use these findings as a foundation to combat misinformation and disinformation campaigns wielded by big corporate science entities and the public relations firms often hired to carry out these campaigns.
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Mehroosh Tak, Kirsty Blair and João Gabriel Oliveira Marques
High levels of child obesity alongside rising stunting and the absence of a coherent food policy have deemed UK’s food system to be broken. The National Food Strategy (NFS) was…
Abstract
Purpose
High levels of child obesity alongside rising stunting and the absence of a coherent food policy have deemed UK’s food system to be broken. The National Food Strategy (NFS) was debated intensely in media, with discussions on how and who should fix the food system.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a mixed methods approach, the authors conduct framing analysis on traditional media and sentiment analysis of twitter reactions to the NFS to identify frames used to shape food system policy interventions.
Findings
The study finds evidence that the media coverage of the NFS often utilised the tropes of “culture wars” shaping the debate of who is responsible to fix the food system – the government, the public or the industry. NFS recommendations were portrayed as issues of free choice to shift the debate away from government action correcting for market failure. In contrast, the industry was showcased as equipped to intervene on its own accord. Dietary recommendations made by the NFS were depicted as hurting the poor, painting a picture of helplessness and loss of control, while their voices were omitted and not represented in traditional media.
Social implications
British media’s alignment with free market economic thinking has implications for food systems reform, as it deters the government from acting and relies on the invisible hand of the market to fix the system. Media firms should move beyond tropes of culture wars to discuss interventions that reform the structural causes of the UK’s broken food systems.
Originality/value
As traditional media coverage struggles to capture the diversity of public perception; the authors supplement framing analysis with sentiment analysis of Twitter data. To the best of our knowledge, no such media (and social media) analysis of the NFS has been conducted. The paper is also original as it extends our understanding of how media alignment with free market economic thinking has implications for food systems reform, as it deters the government from acting and relies on the invisible hand of the market to fix the system.
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