The political economy of drug and alcohol regulation during the <scp>COVID</scp>‐19 pandemic

Redford, Audrey; Dills, Angela K.

doi:10.1002/soej.12496

Cited by 18 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 45 publications

(40 reference statements)

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“…While the term “elective” implies that the surgeries were somehow optional, patients nonetheless sought them to alleviate suffering. Another option for alleviating suffering is to use opiates or other pain medications; evidence suggests that opioid prescriptions have risen dramatically during the pandemic (Redford & Dills, 2021 ). Reporting on preliminary findings of fatal opioid death rates, Mulligan ( 2020 ) suggests that opioid overdose deaths increased by 10% to 60% from the start of the pandemic through October of 2020, particularly in areas with stricter lockdown policies.…”

Section: Wrong Curves Wrong Policymentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimal lockdowns

Hebert

Curry

2022

Public Choice

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This paper provides a framework for understanding optimal lockdowns and makes three contributions. First, it theoretically analyzes lockdown policies and argues that policy makers systematically enact too strict lockdowns because their incentives are misaligned with achieving desired ends and they cannot adapt to changing circumstances. Second, it provides a benchmark to determine how strongly policy makers in different locations should respond to COVID-19. Finally, it provides a framework for understanding how, when, and why lockdown policy is expected to change.

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Section: Wrong Curves Wrong Policymentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimal lockdowns

Hebert

Curry

2022

Public Choice

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“…Take two examples from the pandemic. First, Denver, Colorado attempted to close liquor stores and recreational marijuana dispensaries in March 2020, deeming them non-essential (see Redford and Dills 2021 ; Sexton et al 2020 ). However, when long lines formed outside of the stores just hours after the announcement, the decision was reversed due to public health concerns regarding exposure risk (ibid.).…”

Section: The Perils Of Regulation and The Kirznerian Entrepreneurmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, some notable differences existed among the states regarding the essentialness of some businesses. For example, while most states determined that liquor stores and medical and recreational marijuana dispensaries were essential, Pennsylvania notably closed state-run liquor stores and Massachusetts closed recreational dispensaries (Redford and Dills 2021 ; Storr et al 2021 ). In some states, pawn shops could be categorized as financial services (and therefore essential) where in others they were not (Storr et al 2021 ).…”

Section: Covid-19 Policies and The Perils Of Regulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Even bordering states with overlapping metropolitan areas had significant differences in their essentialness designations, such as Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maryland (WFMZ 2020 ; Delaware 2020 ; Maryland 2020 ; Redford and Dills 2021 ; Storr et al 2021 ). For instance, Pennsylvania officials determined that most kinds of construction and electrical and mechanical equipment manufacturing were not essential, but Delaware and Maryland allowed these industries to continue.…”

Section: Covid-19 Policies and The Perils Of Regulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An example of beneficial policy change during the pandemic is that many state governments relaxed restrictions on alcohol sales, allowing restaurants to offer to-go cocktails and for contactless delivery (Redford and Dills 2021 ). Several states have now made these deregulations permanent, and a majority of Americans support them (Barrios 2021 ).…”

Section: Covid-19 Policies and The Perils Of Regulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

The Perils of Regulating COVID–19: Insights from Kirznerian Entrepreneurship and Ostromian Polycentricity

2022

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, governments at every level in the United States made various policies to reduce the spread of the disease and to mitigate pandemic-related economic impacts. Such policies included stay-at-home orders that shuttered “non-essential” businesses and economic stimulus programs that provided financial assistance. Using Israel Kirzner’s insights from “The Perils of Regulation,” we argue that local, state, and federal COVID-19 policies have had and will continue to have long-run spillover effects and other negative unintended consequences. Pandemic policies have stifled entrepreneurial discovery and created opportunities for superfluous discovery, thus directing entrepreneurial efforts in directions that would not have existed otherwise. The normative implications of this analysis are that policymakers should better account for the wide variety of seen and unseen costs of policies that are likely to have many negative unintended consequences, regardless of the intentions behind such policies. One of the most effective ways to limit the perils of regulation is polycentric governance systems. With multiple, overlapping decision-making centers, polycentric systems allow for policymakers to experiment with different policy approaches and learn from other jurisdictions. Polycentric systems also limit the spillover effects of negative unintended consequences onto other jurisdictions.

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The political economy of theCOVID‐19 pandemic

Boettke

Powell

2021

Southern Economic Journal

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We argue that the policy response to the COVID‐19 pandemic by all levels of government around the world is not consistent with recommendations from standard welfare economics. Thus, it is important to ask why such policies have been adopted. That opens the door to examining the political economy of the COVID‐19 pandemic. This requires examining the incentives and information that confront policymakers and voters and the institutional environments that shape their incentives and information. This lead article frames questions addressed in the remainder of the symposium.

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The political economy of drug and alcohol regulation during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Cited by 18 publications

References 45 publications

Optimal lockdowns

Optimal lockdowns

The Perils of Regulating COVID–19: Insights from Kirznerian Entrepreneurship and Ostromian Polycentricity

The political economy of theCOVID‐19 pandemic

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