Alcohol Ban and Crime: The ABCs of the Bihar Prohibition
Journal: Economic Development and Cultural Change
Year: 2023

We study the relationship between alcohol consumption and crime, following an alcohol prohibition in Bihar in 2016.Using a difference-in-differences approach, we explore the differential effects of alcohol on different crime types.We find that the prohibition led to a 0.22 standard deviation point reduction in reported violent crimes without significantly impacting nonviolent crimes.Heterogeneity tests reveal stronger effects in interior districts and those with higher baseline alcohol consumpti