The politics of beer: analysis of the congressional votes on the beer bill of 1933

Eline Poelmans (), John Dove and Jason E. Taylor ()
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Eline Poelmans: KU Leuven
Jason E. Taylor: Central Michigan University

Public Choice, 2018, vol. 174, issue 1, No 6, 106 pages

Abstract: Abstract Nine days after he took office in March 1933, Franklin Roosevelt asked Congress to amend existing federal Prohibition policy so as to allow for the sale and consumption of 3.2% alcohol beer. Over the following 8 days, the so-called “beer bill” was proposed, debated, passed and signed into law. This study analyzes the political decision making behind one of FDR’s earliest New Deal policies. Specifically, we consider how voter preferences, representatives’ ideologies, national party affiliations, and the influence of special interests affected legislative decision making. We find that special interests and party affiliations were particularly important drivers of congressional voting behavior.

Keywords: Beer legalization; Prohibition; Special interests; Median voter; Representative ideology; New Deal; Franklin Roosevelt (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11127-017-0493-1

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