How and why consensus fractured at the 2024 session of the UN Commission on narcotic drugs
An exploratory study of international drug policy constellations using social network analysis and qualitative comparative analysis
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21605229 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Alex Stevens (0000-0002-4878-3871, University of Sheffield, corresponding author), Felipe Krause (0009-0002-5679-0008, Latin American Centre, University of Oxford), Martin Bouchard (0000-0002-2911-5544, Simon Fraser University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Pages | 1-14 |
| Publication date | 2025-12-05 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Drugs Education Prevention and Policy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0968-7637 • E-ISSN: 1465-3370 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/09687637.2025.2590649 |
| OpenAlex | W4417036244 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 34 |
Background Consensus in international drug policy has fractured. It would be useful to explain how and why this occurred.Aim This exploratory study develops and tests theory and methods for describing and explaining constellations of policy actors and positions in international drug policy.Methods This article applies the policy constellations approach. It uses social network analysis (SNA) of the statements made by countries at the 2024 Commission on Narcotic Drugs, combined with a qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) of the data on countries’ value orientations and national levels of human development.Results A network analysis of the statements made at the Commission revealed two constellations of countries in the data: the ‘liberal’ and ‘traditionalist’ constellations. In QCA, after excluding Latin American countries, we find that a population’s level of emancipative values may have a causal effect on membership of these policy constellations; countries with high emancipative values are usually in the liberal constellation, and countries with low emancipative values are usually in the traditionalist constellation.Conclusion It is possible to use SNA and QCA to identify policy constellations in international drug policy discussions and to provide a provisional explanation of why countries (outside Latin America) adopt the policy positions they do
Commission · Exploratory analysis · Exploratory research · Policy analysis · Qualitative analysis · Qualitative research · Social network analysis · Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance · HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk · Qualitative Comparative Analysis Research
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| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |