The Gorbachev Anti-alcohol Campaign and Russia's Mortality Crisis

Jay Bhattacharya, Christina Gathmann and Grant Miller

American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 2013, vol. 5, issue 2, 232-60

Abstract: Political and economic transition is often blamed for Russia's 40 percent surge in deaths between 1990 and 1994. Highlighting that increases in mortality occurred primarily among alcohol-related causes and among working-age men (the heaviest drinkers), this paper investigates an alternative explanation: the demise of the 1985-1988 Gorbachev Anti-Alcohol Campaign. Using archival sources to build a new oblast-year dataset spanning 1978-2000, we find a variety of evidence suggesting that the campaign's end explains a large share of the mortality crisis, implying that Russia's transition to capitalism and democracy was not as lethal as commonly suggested. (JEL D72, I12, I18, P26, P36)

JEL-codes: D72 I12 I18 P26 P36 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
Note: DOI: 10.1257/app.5.2.232
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (25)

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Journal Article: The Gorbachev Anti-Alcohol Campaign and Russia’s Mortality Crisis (2012)
Working Paper: The Gorbachev Anti-Alcohol Campaign and Russia's Mortality Crisis (2012)
Working Paper: The Gorbachev Anti-Alcohol Campaign and Russia's Mortality Crisis (2012)
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