Alcohol Consumption and Intimate Partner Violence : Evidence from a recent policy in India

We study the impact of an alcohol-prohibition policy, implemented in the Indian state of Bihar in the year 2016, on intimate partner violence. Using data from two latest rounds of the DHS surveys, and employing difference-in-differences framework, we find that the ban led to a reduction in reported levels of alcohol consumption among men and subsequently a statistically as well as economically significant reduction in severity and forms of violence toward their intimate partner. Our study contributes toward the larger debate on the effectiveness of alcohol prohibition policy, and shows that this particular policy has been effective in attaining its intended goal of bringing down violence toward women by their intimate partner