Authors: Tim Lang and Geof Rayner

The authors of this article outline five models and traditions, and argue that public health thinking requires an overhaul, and that ecological public health — which integrates the material, biological, social, and cultural aspects of public health — is the way forward for the 21st century.

Author: Gerard Hastings (Institute for Social Marketing, University of Stirling and the Open University)

This BMJ article calls for a shake-up to public health, to revitalise the discipline, place the needed emphasis on the commercial determinants of poor health and take the lead in a move away from 'an abeyance to the corporate bottom line', with suggestions for key areas in which organisational and paradigm shifts are needed.

Editeb by: David V. McQueen (IUHPE), Matthias Wismar (European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies), Vivian Lin (La Trobe University), Catherine M. Jones (International Union for Health Promotion and Education), Maggie Davies (Health Action Partnership International)

The recent Rio Political Declaration on Social Determinants of Health (WHO, 2011), adopted during the World Conference on Social Determinants of Health in October 2011, continues to highlight the importance of the work of global institutions to address HiAP, social determinants of health and governance. This book, produced by the WHO - Regional Office for Europe on behalf of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, in particular echoes and supports themes of the upcoming WHO health policy for Europe, the European Health 2020 policy framework, underscoring the importance of SDoH, HiAP and intersectoral governance (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2012). These policy developments set the background for the issues to be addressed in this book.

Author: Dimiter Toshkov (Leiden University)

Policy-making is embedded in politics, but an increasing number of issues, like obesity, tobacco control, or road safety, do not map well on the major dimensions of political conflict. This article analyzes the enactment of restrictions on smoking in bars and restaurants in 29 European countries – a conflictual issue which does not fit easily traditional party ideologies. Indeed, the comparative empirical analyses demonstrate that government ideological positions are not associated with the strictness and the timing of adoption of the smoking bans. On the other hand, economic factors like the scale of tobacco production in a country, smoking prevalence in society and public support for tough anti-smoking policy are all significantly related to the time it takes for a country to adopt smoking bans, and to the comprehensiveness and enforcement of these restrictions.

Author: EMCDDA

EMCDDA raised concerns over complex stimulant market and plethora of powders and pills in its 2012 anual report. According to this report, Europe is faced with an increasingly complex stimulant market, in which consumers are confronted with a wide variety of powders and pills.
The report on the state of the drugs problem in Europe presents the EMCDDA's yearly overview of the drug phenomenon. Published every autumn, the report contains non-confidential data supported by an extensive range of figures.