Papers by Will Haydock
Purpose (mandatory)
This paper considers how policy researchers should respond to recent developm... more Purpose (mandatory)
This paper considers how policy researchers should respond to recent developments in substance use and the governance of drug and alcohol policy in the UK.
Design/methodology/approach (mandatory)
The paper takes two elements from the 2010 UK Drug Strategy –supply and treatment –and considers a case study in each to briefly examine the potential role of local policymakers in shaping how substance use is experienced.
Findings (mandatory)
It is argued that the Coalition Government’s health reforms have given local commissioners greater autonomy over treatment policy than they had under the preceding Labour Government. Similarly, the regulation of new psychoactive substances in the UK has left local areas to determine their own approach to controlling supply through retail outlets.
Research limitations/implications (if applicable)
Drawing on the broader academic literature on policymaking, this paper calls for ethnographic research into local policymaking related to substance use, which will help to illuminate how perceived policy problems are shaped by particular local systems and understandings of evidence.
Originality/value (mandatory)
While this paper is not unique in identifying the importance of locally-based research, it identifies the particular relevance of this research agenda in the UK today. It seeks to inform and encourage research that can shape the development of local policymaking.
This paper considers how policy researchers should respond to recent developments in substance use and the governance of drug and alcohol policy in the UK.
Design/methodology/approach (mandatory)
The paper takes two elements from the 2010 UK Drug Strategy –supply and treatment –and considers a case study in each to briefly examine the potential role of local policymakers in shaping how substance use is experienced.
Findings (mandatory)
It is argued that the Coalition Government’s health reforms have given local commissioners greater autonomy over treatment policy than they had under the preceding Labour Government. Similarly, the regulation of new psychoactive substances in the UK has left local areas to determine their own approach to controlling supply through retail outlets.
Research limitations/implications (if applicable)
Drawing on the broader academic literature on policymaking, this paper calls for ethnographic research into local policymaking related to substance use, which will help to illuminate how perceived policy problems are shaped by particular local systems and understandings of evidence.
Originality/value (mandatory)
While this paper is not unique in identifying the importance of locally-based research, it identifies the particular relevance of this research agenda in the UK today. It seeks to inform and encourage research that can shape the development of local policymaking.
Alcohol consumption in 21 st-century Britain is of significant interest to government, media and ... more Alcohol consumption in 21 st-century Britain is of significant interest to government, media and academics. Some have referred to a 'new culture of intoxication', fostered by the drinks industry, and enabled by a neoliberal policymaking context. This article argues that the 'carnivalesque' is a better concept through which to understand alcohol's place in British society today, in terms of production, regulation and consumption. The concept of the carnivalesque highlights how UK alcohol policy, though neoliberal, is located in a historical and moral context. It is also illuminates the ambivalence in drinkers' relationship with the contemporary night-time economy. In this way, productive avenues are opened for understanding drinking behaviour in today's Britain, considering what elements of this might be deemed problematic and why, and developing constructive regulatory policies.
This article explores the continuities in alcohol policy over the past decade under both Labour a... more This article explores the continuities in alcohol policy over the past decade under both Labour and Coalition governments. It is argued that these continuities reflect a neoliberal mentality of government whereby market mechanisms are maintained even when the outcomes produced are deemed undesirable. Policies to address these outcomes have focused on the individual citizen, conceived of as a potentially rational decision-maker. If exhortations to behave in the desired fashion do not reap results then measures are targeted at specific individuals or groups of individuals considered flawed consumers. The continuity is examined in light of recent commentary that has identified a trend in policymaking reflecting a loss of confidence in individual rationality and market outcomes, described variously as post-liberalism or neocommunitarianism. It is suggested that the stability of the broader underlying structures of thought that circumscribe contemporary policy discussions should not be underestimated.
Alcohol use in the UK has been a key concern to both the Labour and Coalition governments, and co... more Alcohol use in the UK has been a key concern to both the Labour and Coalition governments, and commands considerable attention in the media and academic discussions. This article analyses how recent government policy discussions have defined particular forms of drinking as problematic, and how these definitions and associated policy initiatives can be seen as part of a wider symbolic economy through which people come to be valued differently, incorporating ideas of economic, cultural and social capital. Therefore, I argue that government policies and discussions of drinking are a key way in which class is constituted in contemporary Britain.
Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events, Apr 10, 2014
The British night-time economy today has been characterised by academics across various disciplin... more The British night-time economy today has been characterised by academics across various disciplines as the result of neoliberal attempts to regenerate the evening economy ‘on the cheap’, leading to the dominance of ‘mainstream nightlife’ at the expense of subcultural traditional working-class alternatives. One preferable alternative offered is the ideal of a ‘diverse’ and ‘inclusive’ ‘creative city’, with a greater focus on ‘culture’. This article shows how such ideas have been taken up in the planning and regulation of the night-time economy in Bournemouth. Despite the current emphasis on the value of making the Bournemouth night-time economy ‘more diverse’, offering more ‘balance’ than the current vista, policy-makers, like drinkers, are aware of the considerable distinctions within the night-time economy. The emphasis on diversity as a policy objective can be understood rather as an attempt to encourage a particular drinking style. In this context, a ‘balanced’ night-time economy refers more to the overall atmosphere than the variety of consumer choice. The ideal drinking style is seen as characteristic of a wealthier group of customers, who will exert a ‘civilising’ influence on the town, as wealth is associated with broader cultural attributes of these ‘better people’. It is therefore argued that local alcohol policy can be seen as neoliberal in the sense of actively creating a particular form of market, rather than letting a free market develop and determine outcomes. The intersection of cultural, economic and social factors suggests that the local approach can be understood as both reflective and constitutive of class.
Drugs: Education, Prevention, and Policy, Oct 1, 2014
Much academic work has argued that alcohol policy in England over the past 25 years can be charac... more Much academic work has argued that alcohol policy in England over the past 25 years can be characterised as neoliberal, particularly in regard to the night-time economy and attempts to address “binge” drinking. Understanding neoliberalism as a particular “mentality of government” that circumscribes the range of policy options considered appropriate and practical for a government to take, this article notes how the particular application of policy can vary by local context. This article argues that the approach of successive governments in relation to alcohol should be seen as based on a fear and condemnation of the carnivalesque, understood as a time when everyday norms and conventions are set aside, and the world is – for a limited period only – turned inside out. This analysis is contrasted with previous interpretations that have characterised government as condemning intoxication and particular forms of pleasure taken in drinking. Although these concepts are useful in such analysis, this article suggests that government concerns are broader and relate to wider cultures surrounding drunkenness. Moreover, there is an ambivalence to policy in relation to alcohol that is better conveyed by the concept of the carnivalesque than imagining simply a condemnation of pleasure or intoxication.
Blog posts by Will Haydock
LSE British Politics and Policy Blog, Jul 24, 2013
Should the alcohol industry, or other industries, have a role in policymaking? This question aris... more Should the alcohol industry, or other industries, have a role in policymaking? This question arises when industry misrepresents research showing the health benefits of interventions. Will Haydock points out that evidence of public health gains can’t show whether this is a desirable aim overall, since perhaps liberty and the pleasures of intoxication and taste trump living longer. Policy cannot be solely informed by evidence, because evidence without aims is meaningless. So whilst industry perhaps shouldn’t be engaged in interpreting research evidence, they should certainly be able to have a role in defining the problem.
Conference Presentations by Will Haydock
We live in interesting times as far as global policies on psychoactive substance use are concerne... more We live in interesting times as far as global policies on psychoactive substance use are concerned. It can be argued that attitudes towards a range of substances are converging in favour of legal but heavily regulated markets. In some respects regulations on currently legal substances are being tightened, with minimum unit pricing gaining traction across a number of countries, along with standardised tobacco packaging. At the same time, recreational use of cannabis is now legal (but highly regulated) in Uruguay and a number of states in the USA, and several other countries have decriminalised possession of illicit substances. Energy drinks, new psychoactive substances and e-cigarettes are throwing existing systems of regulation into further confusion. However, this paper takes the case of substance use treatment in England today to note how the experiences of individual citizens are shaped not only by national and international dynamics, but local budgets, agendas and politics. I emphasise the valuable role that academic research can play when it considers not only local policy differences and their impacts, but how such policies are formulated and implemented.
9th Conference of the European Sociological Association, Sep 2009
‘Binge’ drinking in the UK is perceived by government, media and academics alike as a topic of co... more ‘Binge’ drinking in the UK is perceived by government, media and academics alike as a topic of concern, despite the absence of any agreed definition. The current UK government’s approach to alcohol policy can be understood within the framework of neo-liberalism, its clear morals and ideals juxtaposed with increased opportunities for apparent transgression. ‘Binge’ drinking is constructed – by both media and government – as such transgression, in contrast with the ideals of ‘responsible’ or ‘moderate’ drinking. ‘Binge’ drinkers are seen as hedonistic, excessive and irrational; the antithesis of the rational, self-governing, moral individual that is the ideal neo-liberal subject. Conversely, most academic discussions of ‘binge’ drinking have focused on the contrast with what has been called ‘traditional’ drinking, based in community pubs and understood to have reinforced stable working-class, masculine identities based on workplace relations. ‘Binge’ drinking is presented as an individualistic practice, constructing identities through consumption under conditions determined by big business, with any sense of community being simply brand loyalty created by companies. ‘Binge’ drinking is thus understood not as the antithesis of neo-liberal ideals, but their apotheosis. My ethnographic research of drinking cultures in Bournemouth, UK, suggests that the relationship between individualism and drinking on the British night-time high street is more varied and nuanced than either of these models suggest. Some drinkers did present individualistic identities constructed through consumption, but they emphasised self-control, rationality and ‘good taste’, trying to distance themselves from conceptions of ‘binge’ drinking. On the other hand, many who might commonly be identified as ‘binge’ drinkers denounced the construction of such identities as ‘stuck up’ because of the stress on ‘image’ over ‘having a laugh’, and emphasised instead a sense of community that built on relationships from school and work, not simply shared patterns of consumption. The paper will therefore address the theme ‘New and Old Individualisms’, as it considers how ideas of individualism and distinction inform Bournemouth’s high street drinking cultures.
Resorting to the Coast: Tourism, Heritage and Cultures of the Seaside (Conference), Jun 2009
Book Reviews by Will Haydock
Prohibition Review Article
Review of "Pubs and Patriots: The Drink Crisis During World War One" by Robert Duncan and "Try to... more Review of "Pubs and Patriots: The Drink Crisis During World War One" by Robert Duncan and "Try to Control Yourself: The Regulation of Public Drinking in Post-Prohibition Ontario, 1927-44" by Dan Malleck.
Book Review: Embodied sporting practices: regulating and regulatory bodies by Kath Woodward
Leisure Studies, Oct 18, 2011
The stated aim of this book is to 'make a contribution to the theoretical literature on bodie... more The stated aim of this book is to 'make a contribution to the theoretical literature on bodies and embodiment using the empirical vehicle of sport'(p. 1). Woodward's focus is on the various dichotomies that have characterised philosophies of the body: mind/body, subject/ ...
Book Review: The Politics of Alcohol by James Nicholls
Reviews in History, Apr 2010
Thesis by Will Haydock
In early 21st-century Britain there is a focus by media, government and academia on young people'... more In early 21st-century Britain there is a focus by media, government and academia on young people's consumption of alcohol - often using the term 'binge' drinking - and how this should be understood and regulated. This thesis argues that contemporary forms of alcohol regulation can be seen as part of a broader neo-liberal mentality of government, encompassing the creation of a classed and gendered figure of the self-disciplined, responsible, ideal citizen. This ethnographic study of the night-time economy in Bournemouth, a town on the south coast of England, considers how young people's drinking practices and discussions relate to these discourses to constitute gender and class. The location and analytical focus of the study complement previous research, which has tended to be based in formerly industrial cities and has either emphasised similarities amongst young people or focused on how drinking practices reflect people's gender and class backgrounds. Interviews were conducted with 20 professionals alongside 45 hours of participant observation resulting in interactions with 113 drinkers. Drawing on the work of Butler and Bourdieu, this study conceives of gender and class as norms that structure people's perceptions of the world and possibilities within it; drinking practices and understandings are both part of these structures and also actions that lead to individuals being consequently classified. Young people's various 'drinking styles' can be arranged on a continuum from the everyday to the carnivalesque. The everyday style draws on the figure of the responsible individual noted in government discourses and oppositional figures such as the 'chav', which distance the speaker from problematic 'binge' drinking in class terms. Other participants labelled such views 'stuck up', as part of a symbolic struggle. In terms of gender, themes of safekeeping interacted with these discourses, as certain practices were considered unfeminine and not 'classy', for example. The thesis argues that, as well as reflecting class and gender, these styles can be seen as discursive resources that authorise accounts of drinking, constituting symbolic capital and therefore class and gender. It is thus argued that the night-time economy is a key site for the formation of class and gender in contemporary British society.
Book Chapters by Will Haydock
Wellbeing, Health and Leisure (eds. Ian Wellard & Mike Weed), 2010