The impact of price policy on demand for alcohol in rural India

Subramanian, A. and Kumar, P. (2017) The impact of price policy on demand for alcohol in rural India. Social Science and Medicine, 191, pp. 176-185. (doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.08.024) (PMID:28926776)

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Abstract

Whether raising the price of addictive goods can reduce its burden is widely debated in many countries, largely due to lack of appropriate data and robust methods. Three key concerns frequently raised in the literature are: unobserved heterogeneity; omitted variables; identification problem. Addressing these concerns, using robust instrument and employing unique individual-level panel data from Indian Punjab, this paper investigates two related propositions (i) will increase in alcohol price reduce its burden (ii) since greater incomes raise the costs of inebriation, will higher incomes affect consumption of alcohol negatively. Distinct from previous studies, the key variable of interest is the budget share of alcohol that allows studying the burden of alcohol consumption on drinker's and also on other family members. Results presented show that an increase in alcohol price is likely to be regressive, especially on the bottom quartile, with a rise in the budget share of alcohol given budget constraint. This outcome is robust to different econometric specifications. Preliminary explorations suggest that higher per capita income increases the odds of quitting drinking. Results reported have wider implications for the effective design of addiction related health policies.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Subramanian, Dr Arjunan
Authors: Subramanian, A., and Kumar, P.
College/School:College of Social Sciences > Adam Smith Business School > Economics
Journal Name:Social Science and Medicine
Publisher:Elsevier
ISSN:0277-9536
ISSN (Online):0277-9536
Published Online:24 August 2017
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd.
First Published:First published in Social Science and Medicine 191: 176-185
Publisher Policy:Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy

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