Paying the Tab by Cook Philip J

Author:Cook, Philip J.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 2007-07-23T16:00:00+00:00

NONCOERCIVE REGULATIONS

The discussion so far has focused on evaluating government regulations that restrict the choices available to consumers with the goal of improving health and safety. But it should be noted that there are policy options for improving health and safety that do not restrict individual choice, and hence do not pose the stark trade-off between life and liberty (Vaupel and Cook 1978). Many of the possibilities here can be categorized as either “harm reduction” or “information provision.”

Just as the name suggests, harm-reduction measures are aimed at reducing the harmful consequences of some unhealthy or unsafe activity, such as drinking too much (MacCoun and Reuter 2001). To put it baldly, the goal is to make the world safer for drunks. Note that harm reduction for drinking is often a by-product of generic safety measures. Requirements that vehicles come equipped with air bags, padded dashboards, safety glass, collapsible steering columns, and so forth protect all motorists, but especially the drunk drivers since they are vastly more likely than others to get into a serious crash. A wide array of other safety measures have similar effect: to name just a few, breakaway light poles along highways, smoke alarms and fire-retardant materials in homes, the 911 emergency-response system. The consequences of long-term heavy drinking can also be ameliorated. Harm reduction for alcoholics entails such efforts as providing homeless shelters and requiring a vitamin additive to liquor to prevent Korsakoff’s psychosis, as well as research into developing effective medications for treating addiction, easing withdrawal symptoms, and so forth.

Harm-reduction measures benefit the drinkers themselves. The value of these measures would presumably be reflected in the consumer demand for alcoholic beverages, an effect known as “moral hazard” because it is an unintended and unwanted consequence of harm reduction. For example, an easy “cure” for alcoholism would provide assurance for youths who currently limit their drinking for fear of becoming addicted, with the result that they may be inclined to drink more. The outward shift in their demand curve is an accurate representation of the value of that cure to drinkers who are not (yet) alcoholic.

Information provision is another noncoercive approach, in some ways the least controversial. Included here are warning labels on alcoholic-beverage bottles, public service ads on television and radio, restrictions on advertising, and alcohol curriculums in school health classes. These measures seek to improve the decisions made by consumers without actually limiting their choices. It is an open question whether at-risk drinkers themselves place value on such measures, but it is a safe bet that parents support them.

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