Philip Watson , Jason A. Winfree , Ron C. Mittelhammer , Jill J. McCluskey
{"title":"Heterogeneous impacts of statewide policies across urban and rural markets: Evidence from liquor sales","authors":"Philip Watson , Jason A. Winfree , Ron C. Mittelhammer , Jill J. McCluskey","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103753","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This article analyzes and compares changes in liquor sales across urban and rural markets that occurred in response to COVID-19 pandemic and the associated shutdown policies. The data includes every liquor sales transaction, by type (retail store vs. bars and restaurants), month, and location in the State of Idaho. The data facilitates an analysis of the differential dynamic effects of COVID-19 on sales through retail and wholesale (i.e., bars and restaurants) market channels differentiated by urban and rural regions, estimated at the individual-outlet level. Controlling for persistent seasonal fluctuations in liquor consumption, retail liquor sales surged during the peak of the stay-at-home policies, while bar and restaurant sales declined markedly. As bars and restaurants began to reopen, substantial differences occurred between urban and rural areas, including the persistence of reduced sales to bars and restaurants. This suggests that statewide pandemic policies, which were more focused on addressing conditions in urban areas, may have benefitted from greater regional differentiation tailored to idiosyncrasies of rural populations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"119 ","pages":"Article 103753"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Rural Studies","FirstCategoryId":"90","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0743016725001937","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"GEOGRAPHY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
This article analyzes and compares changes in liquor sales across urban and rural markets that occurred in response to COVID-19 pandemic and the associated shutdown policies. The data includes every liquor sales transaction, by type (retail store vs. bars and restaurants), month, and location in the State of Idaho. The data facilitates an analysis of the differential dynamic effects of COVID-19 on sales through retail and wholesale (i.e., bars and restaurants) market channels differentiated by urban and rural regions, estimated at the individual-outlet level. Controlling for persistent seasonal fluctuations in liquor consumption, retail liquor sales surged during the peak of the stay-at-home policies, while bar and restaurant sales declined markedly. As bars and restaurants began to reopen, substantial differences occurred between urban and rural areas, including the persistence of reduced sales to bars and restaurants. This suggests that statewide pandemic policies, which were more focused on addressing conditions in urban areas, may have benefitted from greater regional differentiation tailored to idiosyncrasies of rural populations.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Rural Studies publishes research articles relating to such rural issues as society, demography, housing, employment, transport, services, land-use, recreation, agriculture and conservation. The focus is on those areas encompassing extensive land-use, with small-scale and diffuse settlement patterns and communities linked into the surrounding landscape and milieux. Particular emphasis will be given to aspects of planning policy and management. The journal is international and interdisciplinary in scope and content.