> Restrictions can harm consumers if they must travel farther to shop or switch to a less-preferred option, such as forgoing some of the shopping trips. We estimate a simple discrete-choice model of store type and time and find that North Dakota’s pre-2019 Sunday morning ban was welfare-equivalent to moving the nearest Walmart about 1.4 miles (2.25 kilometres) farther away for every consumer.
> It is worth emphasising that this welfare analysis captures only the consumer side of the policy’s effects. We do not analyse potential changes in firm behaviour, such as pricing, product variety, or investment, or labour-market outcomes. Our findings measure only one side of the policy’s impact, while all the above factors are important for overall welfare.
randommathaccount on
Blue laws are also a protectionist measure that reduce the opportunity cost of religious activity. Real free market believers should oppose scluch government interventions aimed at interfering with religious markets
DataSetMatch on
All stores had to be closed? Most of the South has repelled its Blue Laws but they mostly banned alcohol sales on Sunday mornings. Forcing all stores to be closed is wild.
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> Restrictions can harm consumers if they must travel farther to shop or switch to a less-preferred option, such as forgoing some of the shopping trips. We estimate a simple discrete-choice model of store type and time and find that North Dakota’s pre-2019 Sunday morning ban was welfare-equivalent to moving the nearest Walmart about 1.4 miles (2.25 kilometres) farther away for every consumer.
> It is worth emphasising that this welfare analysis captures only the consumer side of the policy’s effects. We do not analyse potential changes in firm behaviour, such as pricing, product variety, or investment, or labour-market outcomes. Our findings measure only one side of the policy’s impact, while all the above factors are important for overall welfare.
Blue laws are also a protectionist measure that reduce the opportunity cost of religious activity. Real free market believers should oppose scluch government interventions aimed at interfering with religious markets
All stores had to be closed? Most of the South has repelled its Blue Laws but they mostly banned alcohol sales on Sunday mornings. Forcing all stores to be closed is wild.