Prohibition

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Economists in the 1920s argued in favour of Prohibition, the short-lived attempt to ban sales of alcohol in the United States. They were worried about drunkenness affecting productivity. But economics didn’t yet have the idea of the “rational criminal”, which helps to explain why Prohibition was so widely flouted. Now debates are raging about whether cannabis should continue to be prohibited. Tim Harford reveals how a branch of economics called public choice theory has a surprising explanation for why alliances in favour of banning things can command such wide support. Producer: Ben Crighton Editor: Richard Vadon