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

Kai Barron, Charles D. H. Parry, Debbie Bradshaw, Rob Dorrington, Pam Groenewald, Ria Laubscher and Richard Matzopoulos
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Charles D. H. Parry: South African Medical Research Council and Stellenbosch University
Debbie Bradshaw: South African Medical Research Council and University of Cape Town
Rob Dorrington: University of Cape Town
Pam Groenewald: South African Medical Research Council
Ria Laubscher: South African Medical Research Council
Richard Matzopoulos: South African Medical Research Council and University of Cape Town

The Review of Economics and Statistics, 2024, vol. 106, issue 4, 938-955

Abstract: This paper evaluates the impact of a sudden and unexpected nationwide alcohol sales ban in South Africa. We find that this policy causally reduced injury-induced mortality in the country by at least 14%. 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 behavior in society. Our results underscore the severe harm that alcohol can cause and point toward a role for policy measures that target the heaviest drinkers in society.

Date: 2024
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Journal Article: Alcohol, Violence and Injury-Induced Mortality: Evidence from a Modern-Day Prohibition (2022)
Working Paper: Alcohol, Violence and Injury-Induced Mortality: Evidence from a Modern-Day Prohibition (2022)
Working Paper: Alcohol, violence and injury-induced mortality: Evidence from a modern-day prohibition (2022)
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