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Alcohol, Violence and Injury-Induced Mortality: Evidence from a Modern-Day Prohibition

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Listed:
  • Kai Barron
  • Charles D.H. Parry
  • Debbie Bradshaw
  • Rob Dorrington
  • Pam Groenewald
  • Ria Laubscher
  • Richard Matzopoulos

Abstract

This paper evaluates the impact of a sudden and unexpected nation-wide alcohol sales ban in South Africa. We find that this policy causally reduced injury-induced mortality in the country by at least 14% during the five weeks of the ban. We argue that this estimate constitutes a lower bound on the true impact of alcohol on injury-induced mortality. We also document a sharp drop in violent crimes, indicating a tight link between alcohol and aggressive behaviour in society. Our results underscore the severe harm that alcohol can cause and point towards a role for policy measures that target the heaviest drinkers in society.

Suggested Citation

  • Kai Barron & Charles D.H. Parry & Debbie Bradshaw & Rob Dorrington & Pam Groenewald & Ria Laubscher & Richard Matzopoulos, 2022. "Alcohol, Violence and Injury-Induced Mortality: Evidence from a Modern-Day Prohibition," CESifo Working Paper Series 9595, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_9595
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    Cited by:

    1. Kai Barron & Charles D. H. Parry & Debbie Bradshaw & Rob Dorrington & Pam Groenewald & Ria Laubscher & Richard Matzopoulos, 2024. "Alcohol, Violence, and Injury-Induced Mortality: Evidence from a Modern-Day Prohibition," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 106(4), pages 938-955, July.
    2. Ivandić, Ria & Kirchmaier, Tom & Saeidi, Yasaman & Torres Blas, Neus, 2024. "Football, alcohol, and domestic abuse," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 230(C).
    3. Andrés Ramasco, 2023. "Not a Sip: Effects of Zero Tolerance Laws on Road Traffic Fatalities," Working Papers 289, Red Nacional de Investigadores en Economía (RedNIE).
    4. Matthias Bäuml & Jan Marcus & Thomas Siedler, 2023. "Health effects of a ban on late‐night alcohol sales," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(1), pages 65-89, January.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    alcohol; mortality; economics; health; crime; South Africa; Covid-19; violence;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law

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