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Alcohol availability and crime: Lessons from liberalized weekend sales restrictions

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  • Grönqvist, Hans
  • Niknami, Susan

Abstract

We investigate a large-scale experimental scheme implemented in Sweden whereby the state in the year 2000 required all alcohol retail stores in selected areas to stay open on Saturdays. The purpose of the scheme was to evaluate possible social consequences of expanding access to alcohol during weekends. Using rich individual level data we show that this increase in alcohol availability raised both alcohol use and crime.

Suggested Citation

  • Grönqvist, Hans & Niknami, Susan, 2014. "Alcohol availability and crime: Lessons from liberalized weekend sales restrictions," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 77-84.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:juecon:v:81:y:2014:i:c:p:77-84
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jue.2014.03.001
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    1. Åslund, Olof & Grönqvist, Hans & Hall, Caroline & Vlachos, Jonas, 2018. "Education and criminal behavior: Insights from an expansion of upper secondary school," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 178-192.
    2. D. Mark Anderson & Benjamin Crost & Daniel I. Rees, 2018. "Wet Laws, Drinking Establishments and Violent Crime," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 128(611), pages 1333-1366, June.
    3. Green, Colin P. & Heywood, John. S. & Navarro, Maria, 2014. "Did liberalising bar hours decrease traffic accidents?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 189-198.
    4. Ria Ivandic & Tom Kirchmaier & Neus Torres-Blas, 2021. "Football, alcohol and domestic abuse," CEP Discussion Papers dp1781, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    5. Marcos Yamada Nakaguma & Brandon Restrepo, 2014. "Unintended Benefits of Election Day Alcohol Bans: Evidence from Road Crashes and Hospitalizations in Brazil," Working Papers, Department of Economics 2014_21, University of São Paulo (FEA-USP).
    6. Itzhak Ben-David & Marieke Bos, 2021. "Impulsive Consumption and Financial Well-Being: Evidence from an Increase in the Availability of Alcohol [Identification of causal effects using instrumental variables]," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 34(5), pages 2608-2647.
    7. Andrés Ham & Darío Maldonado & Michael Weintraub & Andrés Felipe Camacho & Daniela Gualtero, 2022. "Reducing Alcohol‐Related Violence with Bartenders: A Behavioral Field Experiment," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 41(3), pages 731-761, June.
    8. Baumann, Florian & Buchwald, Achim & Friehe, Tim & Hottenrott, Hanna & Mechtel, Mario, 2019. "The effect of a ban on late-night off-premise alcohol sales on violent crime: Evidence from Germany," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    9. Gu, Yizhen & Deakin, Elizabeth & Long, Ying, 2017. "The effects of driving restrictions on travel behavior evidence from Beijing," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 106-122.
    10. Jungtaek Lee & Baris K. Yörük, 2014. "Does Legalization of Sunday Alcohol Sales Increase Crime?," CESifo Working Paper Series 5065, CESifo.
    11. Joao De Mello & Daniel Mejia Londono & Lucia Suarez, 2013. "The Pharmacological Channel Revisited: Alcohol Sales Restrictions and Crime in Bogota," Research Department Publications IDB-WP-394, Inter-American Development Bank, Research Department.
    12. Colin Green & John Heywood & Maria Navarro Paniagua, 2013. "Did liberalising English and Welsh bar hours cause traffic accidents?," Working Papers 33996659, Lancaster University Management School, Economics Department.
    13. Marcos Y. Nakaguma & Brandon J. Restrepo, 2018. "Restricting access to alcohol and public health: Evidence from electoral dry laws in Brazil," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(1), pages 141-156, January.
    14. Che, Yi & Xu, Xun & Zhang, Yan, 2018. "Chinese import competition, crime, and government transfers in US," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(2), pages 544-567.
    15. Andrés Ham & Darío Maldonado & Michael Weintraub & Andrés Felipe Camacho & Daniela Gualtero, 2019. "Reducing Alcohol-Related Violence: A Field Experiment with Bartenders," Documentos de trabajo 17834, Escuela de Gobierno - Universidad de los Andes.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Alcohol laws; Illegal behavior;

    JEL classification:

    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law

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