Abstract
Whether research is used or not and how it is used is only partly in the control of researchers and is closely related to the politics of the research situation. I suggest that researchers may increase their ability to influence debate by making the politics of the situation part of their research.
In this case study, public discourse on the issue of 'alcohol- in-society' is analysed in the context of the interest groups involved, the theoretical positions they held, and the use they made of research in relation to those positions. Although the interest groups showed some shifting alliances, depending on the issue being addressed, there was a demarcation between two main theoretical positions: the one locating alcohol problems with a minority of alcohol abusers; the other locating problems with the product itself, and hence, with its normal use. Research was used to support and to refute both positions. The debate took place in the context of folk wisdom about alcohol and its effects, and in an arena where the stakes are high.
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