Europeanisation Beyond the EU: Tobacco Advertisement Restrictions in Swiss Cantons

Abstract

This paper forges a link between support for European integration and adoption of tobacco advertisement restrictions in Swiss cantons. Leaning on the policy diffusion literature, the paper argues that the more voters support deeper European integration, the more likely cantonal governments are to restrict tobacco advertising. Policymakers use voters’ support for more European integration as a signal that they support regulatory policies which are strongly associated with the EU in the political and media debate, such as tobacco advertisement bans. This effect ought to be especially strong in the absence of adverse economic interests, such as the presence of the tobacco industry. To buttress these claims, the article uses statistical analysis, specifically event-history analysis. Apart from the insights about Swiss tobacco control policy, this paper contributes to our understanding of indirect EU influence on cantonal policymaking and policy diffusion.

Keywords: Diffusion, Europeanization, Switzerland, Tobacco Advertising

JEL Classification: I10