Demand for Alcohol Consumption in Russia and Its Implication for Mortality
研究了俄罗斯酒精消费需求，发现同伴影响和习惯是价格变化影响需求的关键因素，提高酒精价格可显著降低死亡率。
Alcohol abuse is widely blamed for the very high rate of male mortality in Russia. I estimate a structural model of the demand for alcohol that incorporates two features of alcohol consumption, peer effects and habits. I use a kink in the policy regime of the excise tax on alcohol and regional variation in alcohol regulations to estimate a price elasticity of demand for alcohol. I find that peer influence and habits are critical determinants of the response of alcohol demand to price changes. The estimates imply that increases in alcohol prices would yield significant reductions in mortality.