The Decentralization of Liquor Policies in Texas During the Post‐Prohibition Era
利用新收集的历史立法投票数据，研究后禁酒时期得克萨斯州酒类政策去中心化，分析立法者和选民偏好，发现选民偏好异质性大且溢出效应显著，但去中心化仍带来收益。
ABSTRACT We examine the decentralization of liquor policies in Texas during the Post‐Prohibition era using newly collected historical legislative roll call data. By combining these data with local referendum vote shares, we analyze both legislators' and constituents' preferences on liquor policy. We develop a probabilistic voting model incorporating spillovers and peer effects. Results reveal substantial heterogeneity in preferences among voters, reflecting differing attitudes toward alcohol regulation. Spillover effects are significant, yet the model predicts notable gains from decentralization. Finally, we link legislators' policy preferences to alcohol consumption data and compare model‐based welfare estimates with traditional consumption‐based measures.