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Health effects of a ban on late‐night alcohol sales

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  • Matthias Bäuml
  • Jan Marcus
  • Thomas Siedler

Abstract

This paper studies the impact of a ban on late‐night off‐premise alcohol sales between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. in Germany. We use three large administrative data sets: (i) German diagnosis related groups‐Statistik, (ii) data from a large social health insurance, and (iii) Road Traffic Accident Statistics. Applying difference‐in‐differences and synthetic‐control‐group methods, we find that the ban had no effects on alcohol‐related road casualties, but significantly reduced alcohol‐related hospitalizations (doctor visits) among young people by around 9 (18) percent. The decrease is driven by fewer hospitalizations due to acute alcohol intoxication during the night—when the ban is in place—but not during the day.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthias Bäuml & Jan Marcus & Thomas Siedler, 2023. "Health effects of a ban on late‐night alcohol sales," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(1), pages 65-89, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:hlthec:v:32:y:2023:i:1:p:65-89
    DOI: 10.1002/hec.4610
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