Does drinking impair college performance? Evidence from a regression discontinuity approach

Scott Carrell, Mark Hoekstra and James West

Journal of Public Economics, 2011, vol. 95, issue 1, 54-62

Abstract: This paper examines the effect of alcohol consumption on student achievement. To do so, we exploit the discontinuity in drinking at age 21 at a college in which the minimum legal drinking age is strictly enforced. We find that drinking causes significant reductions in academic performance, particularly for the highest-performing students. This suggests that the negative consequences of alcohol consumption extend beyond the narrow segment of the population at risk of more severe, low-frequency, outcomes.

Keywords: Public health; Education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I18 I21 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (65)

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Journal Article: Does drinking impair college performance? Evidence from a regression discontinuity approach (2011)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:95:y:2011:i:1:p:54-62

DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2010.08.008

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