Let me inform you of the following research seminar.

Date: May 12 (Friday), 2023
Time: 5:15PM-6:45PM
Venue: 11th Floor, Bldg.No.2 Meeting Room B & ZOOM (HyFlex)
Speaker: Yichen (Joshua) Shen (Kanagawa University of Human Services)　
Organizer: Takuya Hasebe
Language: English

Title:
Are Alcohol and Sugar Sweetened Beverages Complement or Substitute? Evidence from the Minimum Legal Drinking Age 

Abstract:
Sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs), such as soda and coke, have been shown to increase the obesity rates across countries. Many countries have implemented policies in an attempt to curb the consumption of SSBs including sin tax and ban of sales near school. However, most policies have ignored the possibility of spillover effect of alcohol use on the consumption of SSBs. This study fills in the gap by examining the causal relationship between alcohol consumption and SSBs. To alleviate the endogenity issue, this study leverages the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) in Taiwan, 18, to investigate its effect on the uses of alcohol and sugar sweetened beverages. Using the 1993–1996 Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan and exact date of birth with a sharp regression discontinuity, I showed that MLDA increased the drinking for women but has no effect on men. At the same time, the MLDA decreased the consumption of SSBs, specifically soft drinks, for women in Taiwan. The result implied that alcohol and SSBs are substitutes, rather than complements. In other words, policies affecting alcohol use could have potential spillover substitution effect on the consumption of SSBs. 

* Please contact the organizer via email, if you'd like to participate in the online seminar.
   If you are interested in upcoming seminars, please visit the website of SIHS Seminar Series.