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Is Tullock correct about Sunday closing laws?

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  • John Moorhouse

Abstract

The evidence presented in this note suggests that, other things equal, the imposition of a Sunday closing law reduces the number of food stores in a given market. This finding directly contradicts Tullock's hypothesis about the long-run effects of Sunday closing laws on investment in food stores. By implication, the evidence also casts doubt on the appropriateness of using Sunday closing laws as an example of a government sanctioned privilege that generates no long-run benefits even to those who sought the grant of privilege in the first place. But there is little surprise in all this, particularly if the real impetus behind blue laws comes, not from store keepers seeking higher profit margins, but from those of certain religious convictions. As the preamble to the Arkansas statute says, ‘Keeping a grocery open on Sunday is a temptation to vice ....’ (p. 569). However, while Tullock's particular illustration may be a poor one, his main thesis concerning ‘the transitional gains trap’ remains a useful insight. Copyright Martinus Nijhoff Publishers 1984

Suggested Citation

  • John Moorhouse, 1984. "Is Tullock correct about Sunday closing laws?," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 42(2), pages 197-203, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:pubcho:v:42:y:1984:i:2:p:197-203
    DOI: 10.1007/BF00124162
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gordon Tullock, 1975. "The Transitional Gains Trap," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 6(2), pages 671-678, Autumn.
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    Cited by:

    1. Paul Lanoie & Georges A. Tanguay & Luc Vallée, 1994. "Short-term Impact of Shopping-hour Deregulation: Welfare Implications and Policy Analysis," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 20(2), pages 177-188, June.
    2. Kosfeld, Michael, 2002. "Why shops close again: An evolutionary perspective on the deregulation of shopping hours," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 46(1), pages 51-72, January.
    3. Javier de la Ballina Ballina & Rodolfo Vázquez, 2015. "El papel de las bluelaws en los modelos de evolución de los for¬matos comerciales," Hacienda Pública Española / Review of Public Economics, IEF, vol. 213(2), pages 63-82, June.
    4. Jonathan Gruber & Daniel M. Hungerman, 2006. "The Church vs the Mall: What Happens When Religion Faces Increased Secular Competition?," NBER Working Papers 12410, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

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