Case study report: global analysis project on the political economy of tobacco control in low- and middle-income countries. J Patrick Vaughan, Jeff Collin, and Kelley Lee, eds. London: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 2000. ISBN 0 902657 67 4 . 150 pages. Project sponsored by the Tobacco Free Initiative, WHO Geneva.

One should not miss the chance to understand processes of strong policy formulation. These two books give ample opportunity for comparison and thoughtfulness about policy making. Both deal with tobacco control policy issues and Thailand, making them particularly useful in Asia and for low to middle income countries. Hatai Chitanondh has put together a personal retrospective tracing events over the nearly three years (1989-92) it took to pass two Thai comprehensive tobacco control laws. This occurred during and after Thailand resisted the 301 provision on the US Trade Act threatening trade retaliation if Thailand failed …