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Abstract:
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Many organizations and public agencies in California invest in efforts to reduce youth smoking. Collaborations across these organizations do exist, however, there is no formal partnership that involves all relevant and powerful stakeholders, including those that realize an economic gain from smoking. Excluding these stakeholders from collaborative efforts neglects best practices established for successful collaborations and policy solutions. This project conducts a conflict assessment to determine whether a formal collaboration is appropriate to address youth smoking in California. By interviewing many stakeholders, including those who profit from tobacco consumption, the project identifies areas of common ground and assesses the likelihood of stakeholders’ willingness to work together. While substantial areas of common ground exist, a collaborative process would not be appropriate at the current time because primary stakeholders are unavailable or unwilling to participate in such a process. The project concludes with recommendations to address some barriers that exist. This includes workshops between stakeholders of similar interests to begin discussing the importance of interest-based negotiation and collaboration. Until all primary stakeholders are willing to engage, a collaboration is not feasible, however such workshops could assist stakeholders in preparing for the potential of collaboration. |
