Tobacco Control Research Group: Peer-Reviewed Research

In addition to publishing its research findings on TobaccoTactics, the Tobacco Control Research Group (TCRG) publishes its research in peer-reviewed journals, often in collaboration with other researchers. See below a selection of our peer-reviewed papers on tobacco industry activities, as well as briefings summarising some of these research findings:

Corporate Social Responsibility

• Corporate Philanthropy, Political Influence, and Health Policy, G.J. Fooks, A.B. Gilmore, PLoS ONE, 2013; 8(11):e80864
• The limits of Corporate Social Responsibility: Techniques of Neutralization, Stakeholder Management and Political CSR, G. Fooks, A. Gilmore, J. Collin, et al, Journal of Business Ethics, 2013; 112:283-299
• Corporate Social Responsibility and Access to Policy Élites: An Analysis of Tobacco Industry Documents, G.J. Fooks, A.B. Gilmore, K.E. Smith, et al, PLoS Med, 2011; 8(8):e1001076
• Corporate (anti)social (ir)responsibility: Transnational tobacco companies and the attempted subversion of global health policy, J. Collin, A.B. Gilmore, Global Social Policy, 2002; 2(3):354-60

Europe/ EU Policy

• The revision of the 2014 European tobacco products directive: an analysis of the tobacco industry's attempts to ‘break the health silo’, S. Peeters, H. Costa, D. Stuckler, et al, Tobacco Control, 2016; 25(1):108-117
• Corporate Coalitions and policy making in the European Union: how and why British American Tobacco promoted ‘Better Regulation’, K.E. Smith, G. Fooks, A.B. Gilmore, et al, Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, 2015; 40(2):325-372
• Quantifying the influence of the tobacco industry on EU governance: automated content analysis of the EU Tobacco Products Directive, H. Costa, A.B. Gilmore, S. Peeters, et al, Tobacco Control, 2014; 23:473-478
• How online sales and promotion of snus contravenes current European Union legislation, S. Peeters, A.B. Gilmore, Tobacco Control, 2013; 22:266-273
• Tobacco industry attempts to influence and use the German government to undermine the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, T. Grüning, H. Weishaar, J. Collin, et al, Tobacco Control, 2012; 21:30-38
• “Working the System”—British American Tobacco's Influence on the European Union Treaty and Its Implications for Policy: An Analysis of Internal Tobacco Industry Documents, K.E. Smith, G. Fooks, J. Collin, et al, PLoS Med, 2010; 7(1): e1000202
• Is the increasing policy use of Impact Assessment in Europe likely to undermine efforts to achieve healthy public policy?, K.E. Smith, G. Fooks, J. Collin, et al, Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 2010; 64:478-487
• Tobacco Industry Influence on Science and Scientists in Germany, T. Grüning, A.B. Gilmore, M. McKee, American Journal Public Health, 2006; 96(1):20-32
• The Living Tomorrow Project: how Philip Morris has used a Belgian tourist attraction to promote ventilation approaches to the control of second hand smoke, P. Pilkington, A.B. Gilmore, Tobacco Control, 2004; 13:375-378

Former Soviet Union

• The invisible hand: how British American Tobacco precluded competition in Uzbekistan, A.B. Gilmore, M. McKee, J. Collin, Tobacco Control, 2007; 16:239-247
• British American Tobacco’s erosion of health legislation in Uzbekistan, A.B. Gilmore, J. Collin, M. McKee, BMJ, 2006; 332-355
• Exploring the impact of foreign direct investment on tobacco consumption in the former Soviet Union, A.B. Gilmore, M. McKee, Tobacco Control, 2005; 14:13-21
• Pushing up smoking incidence: plans for a privatised tobacco industry in Moldova, A.B. Gilmore, C. Radu-Loghin, I. Zatushevski, et al, The Lancet, 2005; 365:1354-1359
• Moving East: how the transnational tobacco industry gained entry to the emerging markets of the former Soviet Union - part I: establishing cigarette imports, A.B. Gilmore, M. McKee, Tobacco Control, 2004; 13:143-150
• Moving East: how the transnational tobacco industry gained entry to the emerging markets of the former Soviet Union - part II: an overview of priorities and tactics used to establish a manufacturing presence, A.B. Gilmore, M. McKee, Tobacco Control, 2004; 13:151-160
• Tobacco and transition: an overview of industry investments, impact and influence in the former Soviet Union, A.B. Gilmore, M. McKee, Tobacco Control, 2004; 13:136-142

Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

• Tobacco industry attempts to influence and use the German government to undermine the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, T. Grüning, H. Weishaar, J. Collin, et al, Tobacco Control, 2012; 21:30-38
• Global health governance and the commercial sector: Tobacco company strategies to influence the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, H. Weishaar, J. Collin, K. Smith, et al, PLoS Med, 2012; 9(6):e1001249
• Status of implementation of Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in Ghana: a qualitative study, E. Owusu-Dabo, A. McNeill, S. Lewis, et al, BMC Public Health, 2010; 10:1
• Tobacco industry attempts to undermine Article 5.3 and the ‘good governance’ trap, K.E. Smith, A.B. Gilmore, G. Fooks, et al, Tobacco Control, 2009; 18:509-511

Harm Reduction

• Understanding the emergence of the tobacco industry's use of the term tobacco harm reduction in order to inform public health policy, S. Peeters, A.B. Gilmore, Tobacco Control, 2015; 24:182-189
• Transnational Tobacco Company Interests in Smokeless Tobacco in Europe: Analysis of Internal Industry Documents and Contemporary Industry Materials, S. Peeters, A.B. Gilmore, PLoS Medicine, 2013; 10(9):1001506
• How online sales and promotion of snus contravenes current European Union legislation, S. Peeters, A.B. Gilmore, Tobacco Control, 2013; 22:266-273
• The place for harm reduction and product regulation in UK tobacco control policy, A.B. Gilmore, J. Britton, D. Arnott, et al, Journal of Public Health, 2009; 31(1):3-10

Illicit Trade

• Tobacco industry data on illicit tobacco trade: a systematic review of existing assessments, A.W.A. Gallagher, K.A. Evans-Reeves, J.L. Hatchard, et al, Tobacco Control, Published Online First: 22 August 2018
• Tobacco industry’s elaborate attempts to control a global track and trace system and fundamentally undermine the Illicit Trade Protocol, A.B. Gilmore, A.W.A. Gallagher, A. Rowell, Tobacco Control, Published Online First: 13 June 2018
• Assessment of the European Union's illicit trade agreements with the four major Transnational Tobacco Companies, L. Joossens, A.B. Gilmore, M. Stoklosa, et al, Tobacco Control, 2016; 25:254-260
• ‘It will harm business and increase illicit trade’: an evaluation of the relevance, quality and transparency of evidence submitted by transnational tobacco companies to the UK consultation on standardised packaging 2012, K.A. Evans-Reeves, J.L. Hatchard, A.B. Gilmore, Tobacco Control, 2015; 24:e168-e177
• Towards a greater understanding of the illicit tobacco trade in Europe: a review of the PMI funded ‘Project Star’ report, A.B. Gilmore, A. Rowell, S. Gallus, et al, Tobacco Control, 2014; 23:e51-e61
• Tobacco industry manipulation of data on and press coverage of the illicit tobacco trade in the UK, A. Rowell, K. Evans-Reeves, A.B. Gilmore, Tobacco Control, 2014; 23:e35-e43
• Illicit cigarettes and hand-rolled tobacco in 18 European countries: a cross-sectional survey, L. Joossens, A. Lugo, C. La Vecchia, et al, Tobacco Control, 2014; 23:e17-e23
• The transnational tobacco companies’ strategy to promote Codentify, their inadequate tracking and tracing standard, L. Joossens, A.B. Gilmore, Tobacco Control, 2014; 23:e3-e6
• Illicit trade, tobacco industry-funded studies and policy influence in the EU and UK, G.J Fooks, S. Peeters, K. Evans-Reeves, Tobacco Control, 2014; 23:81-83

Low and Middle-Income Countries

• The environmental profile of a community’s health: a cross-sectional study on tobacco marketing in 16 countries, E. Savell, A.B. Gilmore, M. Sims, et al, Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 2015; 93(12):851-861
• Exposing and addressing tobacco industry conduct in low-income and middle-income countries, A.B. Gilmore, G. Fooks, J. Drope, et al, The Lancet, 2015; 385(9972):1029–1043
• Status of implementation of Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in Ghana: a qualitative study, E. Owusu-Dabo, A. McNeill, S. Lewis, et al, BMC Public Health, 2010; 10:1
• Smoking in Ghana: a review of tobacco industry activity, E. Owusu-Dabo, S. Lewis, A. McNeill, et al, Tobacco Control, 2009; 18:206-211
• Gaining access to Vietnam’s cigarette market: British American Tobacco’s strategy to enter ‘a huge market which will become enormous’, K. Lee, H.V. Kinh, R. Mackenzie, et al, Global Public Health, 2008; 3:1-25
• “The law was actually drafted by us but the Government is to be congratulated on its wise actions”: British American Tobacco and public policy in Kenya, P. Patel, J. Collin, A.B. Gilmore, Tobacco Control, 2007; 16:e1

Marketing Strategies

• Content analysis of tobacco content in UK television, A.B. Barker, K. Whittamore, J. Britton, et al, Tobacco Control, Published Online First 13 August 2018
• The environmental profile of a community’s health: a cross-sectional study on tobacco marketing in 16 countries, E. Savell, A.B. Gilmore, M. Sims, et al, Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 2015; 93(12):851-861
• How Does the Tobacco Industry Attempt to Influence Marketing Regulations? A systematic review, E. Savell, A.B. Gilmore, G. Fooks, PLoS ONE, 2014; 9(2):e87389
• How online sales and promotion of snus contravenes current European Union legislation, S. Peeters, A.B. Gilmore, Tobacco Control, 2013; 22:266-273

Plain Packaging

• Prospective longitudinal study of tobacco company adaptation to standardised packaging in the UK: identifying circumventions and closing loopholes, K.A. Evans-Reeves, R. Hiscock, K. Lauber, et al., BMJ Open, 2019;9:e028506
• Standardised tobacco packaging: a health policy case study of corporate conflict expansion and adaptation, J.L. Hatchard, G.J. Fooks, A.B. Gilmore, BMJ Open, 2016; 6: e012634
• ‘It will harm business and increase illicit trade’: an evaluation of the relevance, quality and transparency of evidence submitted by transnational tobacco companies to the UK consultation on standardised packaging 2012, K.A. Evans-Reeves, J.L. Hatchard, A.B. Gilmore, Tobacco Control, 2015; 24:e168-e177
• Tobacco industry manipulation of data on and press coverage of the illicit tobacco trade in the UK, A. Rowell, K. Evans-Reeves, A.B. Gilmore, Tobacco Control, 2014; 23:e35-e43
• International trade law, plain packaging and tobacco industry political activity: the Trans-Pacific Partnership, G. Fooks, A.B. Gilmore, Tobacco Control, 2014; 23:e1
• A critical evaluation of the volume, relevance and quality of evidence submitted by the tobacco industry to oppose standardised packaging of tobacco products, J.L. Hatchard, G.J. Fooks, K.A. Evans-Reeves, et al, BMJ Open, 2014; 4:e003757
• Representation and Misrepresentation of Scientific Evidence in Contemporary Tobacco Regulation: A Review of Tobacco Industry Submissions to the UK Government Consultation on Standardised Packaging, S. Ulucanlar, G.J. Fooks, J.L. Hatchard, et al, PLoS Med, 11(3): e1001629
• How do corporations use evidence in public health policy making? The case of standardised tobacco packaging, J.L. Hatchard, K.A. Evans-Reeves, S. Ulucanlar, et al, The Lancet, 2013; 382(s3):S42, 29 November 2013
• Visit Tobacco Control Research Group: Evidence on Plain Packaging, for a summary of relevant peer-reviewed research.

Pricing, Tax, and Profit

• Exploiting a low tax system: non-tax-induced cigarette price increases in Taiwan 2011–2016, W. Gao1, M. Sanna1, J.R. Branston, H. Chiou, Y. Chen, A. Wu and C.P. Wen, Tobacco Control, Published Online First: 04 June 2019. doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2018-054908
• Tobacco industry strategies undermine government tax policy: evidence from commercial data, R. Hiscock, J.R. Branston, A. McNeill, et al, Tobacco Control, Published Online First: 09 October 2017. doi:10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2017-053891
• The truth about cigarette price increases in Britain, A.B. Gilmore, H. Reed, Tobacco Control, 2014; 23(0):e15-e16
• The case for Ofsmoke: the potential for price cap regulation of tobacco to raise £500 million per year in the UK, J.R. Branston, A.B. Gilmore, Tobacco Control, 2014; 23:45-50
• Change in tobacco excise policy in Bulgaria: the role of tobacco industry lobbying and smuggling, V. Skafida, K.E. Silver, B.P.D. Rechel, et al, Tobacco Control, 2014; 23:e75-e84
• Understanding tobacco industry pricing strategy and whether it undermines tobacco tax policy: the example of the UK cigarette market, A.B. Gilmore, B. Tavakoly, G. Taylor, et al, Addiction, 2013; 108(7):1317-26.
• What is known about tobacco industry efforts to influence tobacco tax? A systematic review of empirical studies, K.E. Smith, E. Savell, A.B. Gilmore, Tobacco Control, 2013; 22:e1
• Tobacco Industry Manipulation of Tobacco Excise and Tobacco Advertising Policies in the Czech Republic: An Analysis of Tobacco Industry Documents, R. Shirane, K. Smith, H. Ross, et al, PLoS Med, 2012; 9(6): e1001248
• The case for OFSMOKE: how tobacco price regulation is needed to promote the health of markets, government revenue and the public, A.B. Gilmore, R.J. Branston, D. Sweanor, Tobacco Control, 2010; 19:423-430
• Transnational Tobacco Company Influence on Tax Policy During Privatization of a State Monopoly: British American Tobacco and Uzbekistan, A. Gilmore, J. Collin, J. Townsend, American Journal of Public Health, 2007; 97:2001-9

Other Industry Influence/ Conduct

• The Policy Dystopia Model: An Interpretive Analysis of Tobacco Industry Political Activity, S. Ulucanlar, G.J. Fooks, A.B. Gilmore, PLoS Med, 2016; 13(9): e1002125
• The role of public law-based litigation in tobacco companies’ strategies in high-income, FCTC ratifying countries, 2004-14, S.L. Steele, A.B. Gilmore, M. McKee, et al, Journal of Public Health, 2016; 38(3):516-521
• Understanding the vector in order to plan effective tobacco control policies: an analysis of contemporary tobacco industry materials, Tobacco Control, 2012; 21:119-126
• A review of the impacts of tobacco industry privatisation: Implications for policy, A.B. Gilmore, G. Fooks, M. McKee, Global Public Health, 2011;6(6):621-642
• Trade policy, health and corporate influence: British American Tobacco and China’s accession to the World Trade Organization, C. Holden, K. Lee, A. Gilmore et al, International Journal of Health Services, 2010; 40: 421-441
• The International Monetary Fund and Tobacco: A Product like Any Other?, A. Gilmore, G. Fooks, M. McKee, International Journal Health Services , 2009; 39(4):789-793
• Breaking and entering: British American Tobacco in China 1979-2000, K. Lee, A.B. Gilmore, J. Collin, Tobacco Control, 2004; 13:ii88-ii95

For a comprehensive list of all TCRG publications, including TCRG research that evaluates the impact of public health policy, go to TCRG publications