In recent years, there has been a rise of consent laws in Europe – that is, sexual harassment laws based on consent rather than forms of violence. The laws can be viewed as a type of morality policies, which aspire to change key values regarding sexual relations and rape, especially among adolescents. However, research on laws' abilities to affect opinions is limited and foremost conducted in an American context. At the same time, consent is a term that has been taken for granted, by both the research community and the general public. In what way do those that are targeted by such consent laws reason about consent and rape? Through in-depth interviews with a selection of Swedish adolescents, this paper investigates the ways consent and rape are understood by those targeted by the new Swedish consent law introduced in 2018. This is done against a feminist legal theorybackdrop. Do the young adults share the views that the law intended for them, and can it be an indicator of the normative potential of morality laws? The findings show that Swedish teenagers share crucial views with the law regarding the fact that consent is the sole decisive factor concerning rape. Violence and the intentions of the perpetrator are insignificant. Interestingly, the young adults show deviating views regarding rape and consent among people in relationships, as well as sex as a result of nagging. Taken together, the results deepen our understanding of how adolescents view rape and the complexity of the concept of consent.

Depuis la fin des années 1990, les jeux de hasard et d’argent (JHA) sèment régulièrement la controverse dans l’espace public québécois. En effet, au cours des dernières années, la question du management et de la régulation des JHA a pris une place de plus en plus importante dans les débats publics. Dans le cadre de cette thèse, qui prend la forme d’une thèse par articles, nous nous intéresserons au processus de construction du problème public que représente maintenant le jeu excessif au Québec. Pour ce faire, nous tracerons, dans un premier temps, la genèse de ce problème public en remontant à ses origines. Ce détour historique nous permettra de mettre en relief les diverses constructions par lesquelles l’action de s’adonner aux JHA et ce, de manière excessive ou non, est passée au cours du dernier siècle, soit de vice, à crime, à loisir en passant par maladie et problème de santé publique. Cette genèse nous permettra d’apporter un nouvel éclairage sur la présente controverse relative aux JHA au Québec. Nous tenterons, dans un premier temps, de mettre en relief comment la santé publique a réussi à construire ce « nouveau risque » que représente maintenant l’action de s’adonner aux JHA. Par la suite, nous tenterons de tirer des leçons pour la compréhension, l’analyse et le management des politiques publiques et ce, via une analyse de la controverse portant sur les JHA (article 1), un travail de reconceptualisation théorique (article 2) ainsi qu’une réflexion épistémologique sur des fondements de l’analyse et du management des politiques publiques (article 3). / Since the late 1990s, gambling is an object of controversy in Quebec public space. In recent years, the issue of management and regulation of gambling has become increasingly important in public debates and, excessive or pathological gambling is now a central concern. In this thesis, which will take the form of a thesis by articles, we will look at the process of “construction” of the public problem of excessive gambling in Quebec. To do so, we will trace the genesis of this public issue by going back to its origins. This historical detour will allow us to highlight the various constructions by which gambling passed during the last century (vice, crime, leisure, disease and public health concern). This genesis will also allow us to shed new light on this controversy related to gambling in Quebec. We will attempt, among other things, to highlight how public health has managed to build this "new risk" that now represents gambling. And, beyond this analysis of the current and past situation, we will try to draw lessons for the understanding, analysis and management of public policies by an analysis of the controversy related to gambling (article 1), a theoretical work on morality policies (article 2) and, a reflection on epistemological foundations of public policy analysis and management (article 3).