| Reviews of large-scale community
coalition
evaluations suggest that most have not been successful either in
involving a broad array of institutions or in meeting their outcome
goals. Informed by the literature and by insights from fieldwork, a
social-structural theoretical explanation is offered for this lack of
success. To summarize: coalition structures and the concept of
community are loosely defined; local structures attempt to cope with
problems that have regional, state, national, and international roots;
ethnic, class, and racial divisions lead to cooptation; the narrative
of past failed interventions creates current problems; organizations
with different sizes and institutional affiliations have problems in
working together; and the presence of many organizations leads to
confused decision-making processes. In addition, drug and alcohol
prevention program funding is dwarfed by the funds of the alcohol and
illegal drug industries. Recognizing these issues in advance and
focusing interventions can help to alleviate the effects of these
structural problems. Keywords: Community Coalitions; Drug and Alcohol Abuse; Cooptation; Organizational Theory; Social Stratification |