Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/252112 
Year of Publication: 
2022
Series/Report no.: 
CESifo Working Paper No. 9595
Publisher: 
Center for Economic Studies and ifo Institute (CESifo), Munich
Abstract: 
This paper evaluates the impact of a sudden and unexpected nation-wide alcohol sales ban in South Africa. We find that this policy causally reduced injury-induced mortality in the country by at least 14% during the five weeks of the ban. 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 behaviour in society. Our results underscore the severe harm that alcohol can cause and point towards a role for policy measures that target the heaviest drinkers in society.
Subjects: 
alcohol
mortality
economics
health
crime
South Africa
Covid-19
violence
JEL: 
I18
I12
K42
Document Type: 
Working Paper
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