Reducing binge drinking? The effect of a ban on late-night off-premise alcohol sales on alcohol-related hospital stays in Germany
Excessive alcohol consumption among young people is a major public health concern. On March 1, 2010, the German state of Baden-Württemberg banned the sale of alcoholic beverages between 10pm and 5am at off-premise outlets (e.g., gas stations, kiosks, supermarkets). We use rich monthly administrative data from a 70% random sample of all hospitalizations during the years 2007–2011 in Germany in order to evaluate the short-term impact of this policy on alcohol-related hospitalizations. Applying difference-in-differences methods, we find that the policy change reduces alcohol-related hospitalizations among adolescents and young adults by about 7%. There is also evidence of a decrease in the number of hospitalizations due to violent assault as a result of the ban.
Year of publication: |
2015
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Authors: | Marcus, Jan ; Siedler, Thomas |
Published in: |
Journal of Public Economics. - Elsevier, ISSN 0047-2727. - Vol. 123.2015, C, p. 55-77
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Publisher: |
Elsevier |
Subject: | Binge drinking | Drinking hours | Alcohol control policies | Difference-in-differences | Hospital diagnosis statistics | Alcohol |
Saved in:
Online Resource