Alcohol - how vested interests shape policy-making

An insight here into how vested interests shape policymaking. Academics from the Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) and the University of Sheffield Alcohol Research Group are arguing that if all drinkers stuck to the government's consumption guidelines, then this would cost the industry £13bn per year.

However, does this imply that the government should legislate to tackle this? You should be able to construct a variety of arguments as to why this isn't necessarily good economics.

In England and Wales, a ban on selling alcohol below a “permitted price” has been in place since May 2014. The ban means that a can of average strength lager cannot be sold for less than 41p and a standard bottle of vodka cannot be sold for less than £9.06.

In Scotland a minimum price per unit of alcohol of 50 pence has been in place since May 2018.