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Gambling Policies in European Welfare States pp 275–296Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

The Public Interest Approach to Gambling Policy and Research

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Part of the book series: Work and Welfare in Europe ((RECOWE))

Abstract

Evidence-based public policy usually requires proof of causality as its justification. ‘What works?’ is a standard requirement for the regulation of problematic lifestyles and consumption. The requirement of causality is often strangely at odds with justice. It tends not to be possible to demonstrate causality in gambling, as in many other lifestyle issues. Not only is the requirement of causal evidence fraught with methodological problems, it also obscures what public policy is expected to achieve. The view in this chapter is that the common or public good and the common interest are less-than-ideal formulations, and a public interest approach to gambling policy is proposed. This approach is based on Adam Smith’s concept of sympathy, and on Amartya Sen’s ‘capabilities approach’ in the theory of justice.

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Declaration of Conflicts of Interest

Pekka Sulkunen has received funding from the Academy of Finland project ‘Gambling in European Welfare Regimes’ (grant no. 277405). Sulkunen has also received funding from the Finnish Foundation of Alcohol Studies based on §52 of the Finnish Lotteries Act. The money stems from Finnish gambling operations but the gambling monopoly has no influence on how the money is distributed and imposes no restrictions on publications.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Research on Addiction, Control and Governance (CEACG), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Pekka Sulkunen

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  1. Pekka Sulkunen
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Correspondence to Pekka Sulkunen .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Research on Addiction, Control and Governance (CEACG), Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki , Helsinki, Finland

    Michael Egerer

  2. Centre for Research on Addiction, Control and Governance (CEACG), Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki , Helsinki, Finland

    Virve Marionneau

  3. Centre for Research on Addiction, Control and Governance (CEACG), Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki , Helsinki, Finland

    Janne Nikkinen

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Sulkunen, P. (2018). The Public Interest Approach to Gambling Policy and Research. In: Egerer, M., Marionneau, V., Nikkinen, J. (eds) Gambling Policies in European Welfare States . Work and Welfare in Europe. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90620-1_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90620-1_15

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-90619-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-90620-1

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

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