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Dodging the Bullet: Alcohol-Control Policy in Sweden

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Abstract

Historical considerations of alcohol control focus disproportionately on the American experience with alcohol prohibition, which famously begot rampant bootlegging, corruption, and disrespect for the law. Much more instructive are the experiences of Sweden, historically a trailblazer in the realm of alcohol policy. Despite deeply entrenched temperance sentiment, not only did Sweden dodge the bullet of draconian prohibition and its negative consequences, it diverged from the conventional free-market trade in alcoholic beverages to foster a series of innovations—municipal dispensaries, individual rationing, and government monopolization—that has balanced the liberty of the individual to consume alcohol with a restriction on the negative externalities that the liquor trade imposes on society.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Political Science, Villanova University, Villanova, PA, USA

    Mark L. Schrad

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  1. Mark L. Schrad
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Correspondence to Mark L. Schrad .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Transcrime, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy

    Ernesto U. Savona

  2. Marron Institute of Urban Management, New York University, New York, New York, USA

    Mark A.R. Kleiman

  3. Transcrime, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy

    Francesco Calderoni

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Schrad, M.L. (2017). Dodging the Bullet: Alcohol-Control Policy in Sweden. In: Savona, E., Kleiman, M., Calderoni, F. (eds) Dual Markets. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65361-7_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65361-7_14

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