Working Paper: NBER ID: w16330
Authors: Scott E. Carrell; Mark Hoekstra; James E. West
Abstract: This paper examines the effect of alcohol consumption on student achievement. To do so, we exploit the discontinuity in drinking at age 21 at a college in which the minimum legal drinking age is strictly enforced. We find that drinking causes significant reductions in academic performance, particularly for the highest-performing students. This suggests that the negative consequences of alcohol consumption extend beyond the narrow segment of the population at risk of more severe, low-frequency, outcomes.
Keywords: Alcohol Consumption; College Performance; Regression Discontinuity
JEL Codes: I18; I21
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| drinking (L66) | academic performance (D29) |
| turning 21 (J49) | drinking (L66) |
| turning 21 (J49) | academic performance (D29) |
| drinking (L66) | performance drop for high-performing students (D29) |
| drinking (L66) | long-term consequences on academic performance (I24) |