Den offrade alkoholpolitiken En studie av moderaternas förändrade alkoholpolitik
ModeraternaAlkoholpolitikPolitisk strategiEU:s sociala dimensionStrategisk anpassningPolitical and administrative sciencesStatsvetenskapFörvaltningskunskapLaw and Political Science
The Swedish alcohol policy has by tradition a restrictive composition, with high taxes and the Swedish Alcohol Retailing Monopoly as important elements. The Moderate Party has been powerful critics of the alcohol policy and has advocated a reformation. However, today the Moderate Party seems to have changed the attitude towards the alcohol policy and it even supports the Swedish initiative to create cooperation about alcohol matters at the EU level.This thesis examines why the Moderate Party has changed its attitude towards the restrictive alcohol policy. Three aspects have been considered: the rise of a European public policy, strategic choice, and the influence of the political environment. The paper discusses the problem from a strategic perspective, which means that the political change is viewed as a result of strategic considerations.The party has indeed been affected by all of the three aspects, although to different extent. The main conclusion is that the new approach is a consequence of strategic negotiations between the coalition parties in the Swedish government. The Moderate Party simply had to abandon its political persuasion in alcohol matters in return for increased influence in other issues.