Chapter 3 analyses how evidence has become a central element of the FCTC regime (2005–present). Section 3.1 captures the most important developments since the conclusion of the FCTC in 2003. Section 3.2 provides the theoretical framework of the chapter, focusing on the concept of path dependence in international organisations. Section 3.3 proceeds by showing that the development of the guidelines by the FCTC Conference of the Parties (COP) has been in effect a continuation of the strategy on evidence. Section 3.4 in turn highlights the second facet of the FCTC as an evidence-based regime, that is how the FCTC has mobilised new evidence at the national level. Sections 3.5 and 3.6 reflect on the consequences that the evidence-based approach has had on the outlook of the FCTC regime. Section 3.5 uses in-depth qualitative analysis to demonstrate that the evidence-based approach has reinforced the importance of the expertise of civil society organisations. Finally, Section 3.6 illustrates how the evidence-based approach has started to show its shortcomings in the work of the FCTC COP – particularly in the approach to new products like e-cigarettes (or ENDS) and in the (lack of) development of strategies to foster the implementation of tobacco control measures.

This chapter applies Pragmatic Constructivism to interpret and assess two communities of practice: the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which frames the problem of global warming, and the Conference of Parties (COP), which meets annually to discuss international society’s response within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Applying the book’s two normative tests – inclusive reflexivity and deliberative practical judgment – the chapter demonstrates how the IPCC maintains epistemic authority by appropriately managing the boundary that separates expert knowledge from non-expert opinion. The analysis of COP operates at a micro level (e.g. how physical space at the Conference is organized) and the macro level (e.g. whether it would be better to organize deliberations on a ‘minilateral’ basis). The chapter notes how this debate has been bypassed by the Paris Agreement and the decision to commit to Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for emissions reduction. It assesses the consequences of that collective judgement in light of the progress made at the 2021 Glasgow COP. The chapter concludes that the problem should now be framed in terms of states delivering on the commitments they have made, and it considers the usefulness of nationalist dispositions and citizens assemblies in that process.

This chapter is a practical guide for navigating international environmental conferences, focusing on what there is to these events beyond the negotiations. It sensitizes readers to the existence and specificities of conference spaces and practices such as side events, the corridors, and civil society protests, first touching upon spaces within conference venues before zooming out to consider how conferences manifest outside and beyond their dedicated venue. Building on this scene-setting, the chapter outlines the distinction between using the various conference spaces as sites for data collection and treating them as research objects in their own right. It especially underscores the need for comparative research across processes, notably by providing novel insights on the side-event phenomenon. The chapter makes explicit much of the implicit knowledge that enables seasoned participants to smoothly navigate these events and aims to stimulate scholarship that advances our understanding of the multifaceted nature of these conferences and their constitutive parts.

Global environmental meetings provide a locale for understanding how multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) become words on paper that shape international practices and norms. These meetings are central sites of global environmental agreement-making because they provide diverse actors with a negotiation space and process for the development of treaty text. This chapter provides practical guidance to those who attend, observe, and collect data at MEA negotiation sites. It will help researchers design and implement their studies, and situate their academic work into the negotiation process. Scholars, students, and observers at all stages of their careers will find this chapter useful when preparing to attend a MEA supreme body meeting, navigating on-site, and working to understand and analyze their observations afterward. It can also help when choosing whether to attend in person or not, highlighting the digital resources now available that make that decision even easier. In sum, by unpacking the multiple actors, sites, and processes through which environmental agreements are made and the new arrangements these create, this chapter helps the reader find the appropriate site for their research and navigate the events more confidently.

This chapter discusses information-sharing, including with victims of crime committed by persons with mental disorders. In general, a patient’s treatment is confidential and, unless the patient consents to information being shared, this limits the information that can be disclosed. However, information about a patient can be disclosed to a third party such as a victim if other statutes, such as the Domestic Violence and Mental Health Acts, permit this. Information can also be disclosed if another person is at risk of harm if the information is not disclosed. Furthermore, the victims of specific violent and sexual offences have certain rights to information about the offender. This includes offenders subject to the MHA and detained in hospital or subject to compulsion in the community. Patients can be victims as well as perpetrators of crime, and professionals working in health, social care and the justice system require a robust understanding of when to share confidential information. The first half of the chapter provides information on relevant legislation and guidance to be considered when sharing information about patients in general. The second half is focused on legislation and guidance on information sharing by organisations supporting victims of crimes committed by mentally disordered offenders.