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Using pre-commitment to reduce alcohol consumption: Lessons from a quasi-experiment in Thailand

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  • Witvorapong, Nopphol
  • Watanapongvanich, Somtip

Abstract

Based on primary data of 453 drinkers in Thailand, this study investigates the impact of pre-commitment on alcohol consumption. It exploits the quasi-experimental nature of a social marketing campaign in Thailand implemented in 2014, where all drinkers were able to publicly pledge temporary alcohol abstention, and some but not all drinkers were provided with community-based health promotion interventions conducted by local residents. This study argues that the campaign had a pre-commitment device implicitly integrated into it; failures to follow through with the commitment were associated with mental costs of social embarrassment and weaker relationships with one's local social networks. Using a joint estimation method where the decision to pre-commit is explicitly endogenized, this study suggests that pre-commitment is effective in increasing the probabilities of temporary alcohol abstention and reduction.

Suggested Citation

  • Witvorapong, Nopphol & Watanapongvanich, Somtip, 2020. "Using pre-commitment to reduce alcohol consumption: Lessons from a quasi-experiment in Thailand," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:soceps:v:70:y:2020:i:c:s0038012119300072
    DOI: 10.1016/j.seps.2019.06.008
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Sasso, Alessandro & Hernández-Alava, Mónica & Holmes, John & Field, Matt & Angus, Colin & Meier, Petra, 2022. "Strategies to cut down drinking, alcohol consumption, and usual drinking frequency: Evidence from a British online market research survey," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 310(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Alcohol; Self-control; Commitment; Quasi-experiment; Social marketing;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D90 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - General
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • Z12 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Religion

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