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Short- and Long-Term Effects of Adolescent Alcohol Access: Evidence from Denmark

Author

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  • Nabanita Datta Gupta

    (Department of Economics and Business Economics, Aarhus University, Denmark)

  • Anton Nielsson

    (Lund University and Aarhus University)

Abstract

We exploit changes in minimum legal alcohol purchasing ages in Denmark to estimate effects on health, as well as on human capital formation. In contrast to previous literature on minimum legal drinking ages, we do not only consider outcomes in the short run, but also several years down the road. Employing a difference-in-differences approach, we bring comprehensive evidence on the effects of three reforms, which affected alcohol availability along different margins – 1) establishing an off-premise alcohol purchase age of 15 (1998), 2) raising the off-premise alcohol purchase age to 16 (2004), and 3) increasing the purchase age of beverages exceeding 16.5% in alcohol content from 16 to 18 (2011). Our findings show significant impacts on injuries in both the short and long run. Effects on rarer outcomes (alcohol poisonings and intoxications, and mortality) are mostly insignificant, and there is no clear evidence that educational attainment would be affected.

Suggested Citation

  • Nabanita Datta Gupta & Anton Nielsson, 2017. "Short- and Long-Term Effects of Adolescent Alcohol Access: Evidence from Denmark," Economics Working Papers 2017-03, Department of Economics and Business Economics, Aarhus University.
    • Handle: RePEc:aah:aarhec:2017-03
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    File URL: https://repec.econ.au.dk/repec/afn/wp/17/wp17_03.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Kamalow, Raffael & Siedler, Thomas, 2019. "The Effects of Stepwise Minimum Legal Drinking Age Legislation on Mortality: Evidence from Germany," IZA Discussion Papers 12456, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    minimum legal drinking ages; injuries; alcohol-related conditions; difference-in-differences;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

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