FROM PRODUCTION TO RETAILING: POLICY-ORIENTED RESEARCH ON TOBACCO ECONOMY IN ARGE

描述(申请人提供)：几十年来，烟草行业一直在鼓吹有关阿根廷烟草生产作用的经济“神话”，因此，它们成功地破坏了阿根廷的烟草控制。这种情况导致建立了强有力的法律制度来保护烟草生产。此外，阿根廷的烟草价格是该地区最低的国家之一，而该国是美国烟草使用率最高的国家之一。该项目寻求产生大量当地证据，以反驳这些经济神话，并促进有效的税收政策，以减少烟草消费。具体的研究目标是：1)从法律、经济、社会和政治角度描述阿根廷烟草生产的情况；2)评估烟草税和价格上涨政策的可行性及其对烟草生产、烟草使用和税收的潜在影响；3)评估阿根廷烟草作物替代的可行性；4)从烟草控制的角度建设烟草经济研究的能力。我们将制定多种定量和定性设计的研究战略，以实现前三个目标：审查和分析烟草生产的法律框架，确定和深入采访烟草生产链的主要利益攸关方，通过分析数据小组评估烟草生产对创造就业的影响，以及通过审查行业内部文件和媒体传播分析与烟草税和价格政策相关的烟草行业战略。我们还将评估烟草价格弹性，以及烟草税和价格上涨对烟草税收、消费、对烟草生产的补贴和烟草种植经济体的影响。社会对烟草涨价政策的接受程度将通过民意调查进行评估。最后，我们将开展一项随机横断面调查，以评估阿根廷两个烟草种植省小烟农的生活状况，并评估烟草作物替代的农学和经济可行性。该项目还着眼于建设处理烟草经济问题的研究和宣传能力，这对促进有效的烟草税收和价格政策变化至关重要。它还将促进为小烟农寻找可持续的烟草替代品。与公共健康相关：烟草行业长期以来一直认为，实施有效的烟草控制政策，如烟草税和价格上涨，将对烟草生产产生负面影响，并导致区域烟草种植者经济崩溃，预计将对就业和贫困水平产生负面影响。阿根廷是美洲烟草使用率最高的国家之一，也是该区域香烟最实惠的国家之一，这两个因素之间的联系已得到证明，因为先前的研究表明，提高烟草税和价格是减少民众，特别是儿童和弱势群体烟草使用的最有效措施之一。在这个项目中，我们的目标是产生证据，这些证据将有助于揭穿这些烟草经济神话，为生活在极端贫困中的小烟草种植者推广可持续的烟草替代品，并促进阿根廷制定有效的烟草税收和价格上涨，这每年可以挽救数千人的生命。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Economic "myths" about the role of tobacco production in Argentina have been promoted by the tobacco industry for decades and as a result they have successfully undermined tobacco control in Argentina. This situation has led to the establishment of a strong legal system to protect tobacco production. Also, tobacco price in Argentina is one of the lowest of the region, while the country presents one of the highest levels of tobacco use in America. This project seeks to generate a body of local evidence to counteract these economic myths and promote effective tax policies to reduce tobacco consumption. The specific research objectives are: 1) to characterize the situation of tobacco production in Argentina from the legal, economic, social, and political perspectives; 2) to evaluate the viabilit of a tobacco tax and price increase policy and its potential impacts on tobacco production, tobacco use, and tax revenue; 3) to evaluate the viability of tobacco crop substitution in Argentina; and 4) to build capacity in tobacco economy research with a tobacco control perspective. We will develop multiple research strategies with quantitative and qualitative designs to meet the first three objectives: review and analysis of the legal framework for tobacco production, identification and in-depth interviews with the key stakeholders of the tobacco production chain, evaluation of the impact of tobacco production on the generation of employment through the analysis of data panels, and the analysis of tobacco industry strategies related to tobacco tax and price policy through the review of internal industry documents and media communications. We will also evaluate tobacco price-elasticity and the impact of tobacco tax and price increase on tobacco tax revenue, consumption, subsidies to tobacco production, and in the tobacco leaf growing economies. The social acceptance of a tobacco price increase policy will be assessed through an opinion poll. Last, we will develop a randomized cross-sectional survey to evaluate the life conditions of small tobacco growers in two Argentinean tobacco- growing provinces and we will assess the agronomical and economic viability of tobacco crop substitution. This project is also oriented to building research and advocacy capacity for dealing with tobacco economy issues, which will be essential to promote effective tobacco tax and price policy change. It will also facilitate the search for sustainable alternative to tobacco for small tobacco farmers. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The tobacco industry has long sustained the notion that the implementation of effective tobacco control policies such as tobacco tax and price increases would negatively impact tobacco production and cause the collapse of regional tobacco grower economies, with the expected negative impact on jobs and poverty levels. Argentina presents one of the highest tobacco use levels in the Americas and it is also one of the countries where cigarettes are most affordable in the region, and the connection between these two factors has been proven, since previous research indicates that increasing tobacco tax and prices is one of the most effective measures to reduce tobacco use among the population, especially children and vulnerable groups. In this project we aim to generate evidence that will be useful to debunk these tobacco economy myths, promote sustainable alternatives to tobacco for the small tobacco farmers that live in extreme poverty, and facilitate the development of effective tobacco tax and price increases in Argentina, which could save thousands of lives every year.