Democracy Institute

From Powerbase
Revision as of 08:19, 24 February 2011 by Laurie Ann Campbell (talk | contribs) (→‎On Obesity)
Jump to: navigation, search
Democracy Institute Logo

The Democracy Institute describes itself as "a politically independent public policy research organisation"[1]. Founded in 2006, it has bases in London and Washington where it claims to, “further public education through the production and dissemination of accessible commentary and scholarship” [2] by providing a, “a balanced and thoughtful perspective on topical issues, promoting open and rational debate based on evidence rather than ideology”.[3]

People

Advisory Council

As listed by the Democracy Institute: [7]

Activities

The Democracy Institute’s research interests are within the following areas: Democratisation, education policy; electoral studies; the European Union; fiscal studies; health care; international relations ; obesity; and the regulation of risk.[8] The main focus of its attention is on public health initiatives that are likely to interfere with the marketing activities of the tobacco[9], alcohol[10] and food[11] industries. The Institute is regularly consulted by the media as a body of experts in public health issues with Patrick Basham and John Luik frequently appearing as media commentators, 37 worldwide newspaper articles between 2006 and 2010 cite Basham and Luik as experts on public health issues.[12]

The Institute's director Patrick Basham is a former tobacco industry lobbyist and publishes most of the research on the Institute's website along with John Luik who is also a former tobacco industry lobbyist.[13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]

On Obesity

In several articles attacking public health, Basham [24][25]Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag argues that four obesity claims are nothing but ‘myths’:

  • That the world is obese (both adults and children)
  • That being fat is a certain recipe for early death
  • That fatness stems from the manufacturing and marketing practices of the food industry
  • That we will lengthen our lives if only we eat less and lose weight.

According to Basham, there is no scientific evidence to support these myths. Basham claims that evidence produced by the The Scripps Research Insitute in which ‘junk food’ was found to be addictive to rats due to the chemical reactions it causes in the brain are irrelevant to humans for the reason that it is been proved addictive to rats – not humans.

Basham and Luik recently published an article in spiked expressing their opinion concerning the San Francisco Board of Supervisor’s decision to approve a preliminary ban that would force fast food retailers to stop providing promotional toys with happy meals.[26] According to the article the ban would give parents an opportunity to promote healthier meal options to their children. According the Basham and Luik[27], the proposal is presumptuous as it assumes that the fast food industry and its marketing techniques contribute towards childhood obesity. The evidence-less Happy Meal ban should remind us that the entire idea of fat children is largely a cultural construct, not a scientific one. A hundred years ago, today's penchant for thin children would have been considered a shocking instance of child neglect.The idea that children weighing over a certain amount are fat or obese has no scientific foundation, as the dividing line between fat and normal is purely arbitrary, representing nothing more than a public health bureaucrat's notion of where normal ends and fat begins.[28] Basham and Luik present evidence in the article that denies a link between junk food and obesity

Links

The Democracy Institute is a think tank with links to the Cato Institute [29] and Spiked online.[30]

Publications

  • Partrick Basham, 2010, Sri Lanka needs carrot, not stick, The Guardian, 14-Feb-2010
  • Patrick Basham and John Luik, 2010, A bleary-eyed attitude to alcohol research, 3-February-2010
  • Patrick Basham, 2010, President Obama’s Fork in the Road, 25-Jan-2010
  • Patrick Basham & John Luik, 2010, The myth of an ‘obesity tsunami’, 22-Jan-2010
  • Patrick Basham & John Luik, 2010, In Defense of Santa, 21-Jan-2010
  • Patrick Basham, 2009, Butt Out! How Philip Morris Burned Ted Kennedy, the FDA & the Anti-Tobacco Movement, Democracy Institute
  • Patrick Basham & John Luik, 2009, Are Public Smoking Bans Necessary?, 17-Dec-2009
  • Patrick Basham & John Luik, 2009, Can the UK Avert a Smoking Irish Failure?, 29-October-2009
  • Patrick Basham & John Luik 2009, The City That Never Smokes, 26-October-2009
  • Patrick Basham & John Luik, 2009, Women keep drinking, 3-March-2009
  • DI Report, 2009, Alcohol Advertising Bans – September 20-Sep-2009
  • Patrick Basham, 2009, The Senator and the Symbol, 28-Aug-2009
  • Patrick Basham, 2009, Afghanistan's Democratic Debacle, 21-Aug-2009
  • Patrick Basham, 2009, Displaying the truth about policymaking, 13-Aug-2009
  • Patrick Basham & John Luik, 2009, A fat doctor in the White House?, 29-Jul-2009
  • Patrick Basham & John Luik, 2009, on discrimination against fat African-American women, 29-Jul-2009
  • Patrick Basham & John Luik, 2009, Banning alcohol ads won’t cure alcoholism, 21-Jul-2009 Tuesday 21 July 2009
  • Patrick Basham & John Luik, 2009, Turning fat people into social outcasts, on turning fat people into social outcasts, 30-Jun-2009
  • Patrick Basham & John Luik, 2009, Smoke gets in the government’s eyes, 23-Jun-2009
  • Patrick Basham, 2009, The unholy alliance between Philip Morris & the FDA in the Winston-Salem Journal, 06-Jun-2009
  • Patrick Basham and John Luik’s, 2009, KICKING THE SODA CAN: HARD TRUTHS ABOUT A SOFT DRINK TAX, 3-June-2009
  • Patrick Basham, 2009, Keep FDA away from tobacco Orange County Register, 3-June-2009
  • Patrick Basham & John Luik, 2009, A display of ignorance over youth smoking, 29 April 2009

Affiliations

Spiked | Institute of Humane Studies | Pacific Research Institute | Mercatus Center | International Foundation for Electoral Systems | Cato Institute | Independent Institute | Social Affairs Unit.[31]

Contact Details

London

Democracy Institute
2nd Floor
145-157 St John Street
London EC1V 4PY
0845 310 4144
www.democracyinstitute.org.uk
Email: info@democracyinstitute.org

Washington

Democracy Institute
2001 M St NW
Washington DC 20036
301 390 3711
www.democracyinstitute.org
Email: info@democracyinstitute.org

Notes

  1. ↑ The Democracy Institute (undated), About Us, (accessed 17th February 2011)
  2. ↑ The Democracy Institute (undated), About Us, (accessed 17th February 2011)
  3. ↑ The Democracy Institute (undated), About Us, (accessed 17th February 2011)
  4. ↑ About Us, About Us, Democracy Institute, accessed 10 February 2010
  5. ↑ Basham and Luik, Five-a-day won’t keep the doctor away, Spiked, 13 May 2010, accessed 5 August 2010.
  6. ↑ About the Author, Velvet Glove Iron Fist website, accessed 4 August 2010.
  7. ↑ About Us, Advisory Council, Democracy Institute, accessed 10 February 2010
  8. ↑ The Democracy Institute (undated), About Us, (accessed 17th February 2011)
  9. ↑ Patrick Basham & John Luik, NYC: The City that Never Smokes, The Democracy Institute, 26 October 2009, accessed 30 March 2010
  10. ↑ Patrick Basham & John Luik, A bleary-eyed attitude to alcohol research, The Democracy Institute, 2-February-2010, Accessed 30-March-2010
  11. ↑ Patrick Basham & John Luik, The myth of an ‘obesity tsunami', Democracy Institute, 19-January-2010, Accessed 30-March-2010
  12. ↑ Nexis UK (2011), [1], Nexis Search Terms "John Luik" and "Patrick Basham", (accessed 17th February 2011)
  13. ↑ Telefax, Tflb CONFEDERATION OF EUROPEAN COMMUNITY CIGARETTE MANUFACTURER LIMITED, CONFEDERATION OF EUROPEAN COMMUNITY CIGARETTE MANUFACTURER LIMITED, 22-June-1993
  14. ↑ Consultants, John Luik, Ontario Campaign for Action on Tobacco, Accessed 10-February-2010
  15. ↑ Consultants, John Luik, Ontario Campaign for Action on Tobacco, Accessed 10-February-2010
  16. ↑ Gori GB, Luik JC. Passive smoke: the EPA’s betrayal of science and policy. Vancouver, Canada: Fraser Institute, 1999
  17. ↑ Marsden, W., "Big tobacco's shell game with the truth," Montreal Gazette, June 21, 2001
  18. ↑ Montreal Gazette, Blowing smoke, Cornwall Standard Freeholder (Ontario), 2-July-2001
  19. ↑ Sherry Stein, Letter to Adrain Payne at British American Tobacco, 28-July-2000, Accessed through Tobacco Archives 18-February-2010
  20. ↑ Sherry Stein, Letter to Martin Broughton, 28-January-2000, Accessed through Tobacco Archives 20-February-2010
  21. ↑ Patrick Basham, Public Policy Sources, The Fraser Institute, 1-August-2000, Accessed through Tobacco Archives 20-February-2010
  22. ↑ Press Release, Media Release, The Fraser Institute, 9-April-1999, Accessed Through Tobacco Archives 18-February-2010
  23. ↑ Patrick Basham, Public Policy Sources, The Fraser Institute, 1-August-2000, Accessed through Tobacco Archives 20-February-2010
  24. ↑ Basham, P. & Luik,J. (2006)http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1535176/Four-big-fat-myths.html Four big, fat myths (accessed 24th February 2011)
  25. ↑ Basham, P & Luik,J. (2010) [2], A happy meal is nothing to smile about (accessed 19th February 2011)
  26. ↑ Basham, P & Luik, J. (2010) [3], A happy meal is nothing to smile about (accessed 19th February 2011)
  27. ↑ Basham, P & Luik, J. (2010) [4], A happy meal is nothing to smile about (accessed 19th February 2011)
  28. ↑ Basham, P & Luik (2010) [5], A happy meal is nothing to smile about (accessed 19th February 2011)
  29. ↑ Patrick Basham, Adjunct Scholar, The Cato Institute, Accessed 30-March-2010
  30. ↑ All Articles, Articles by Basham & Luik, Spiked, accessed 30 March 2010
  31. ↑ About Us, Advisory Council, Democracy Institute, Accessed 10-February-2010
Retrieved from "https://powerbase.info/index.php?title=Democracy_Institute&oldid=149709"