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Beer has been consumed across the globe for centuries and was the drink of choice in many ancient societies. Today it is the most important alcoholic drink worldwide, in terms of volume and value. The largest brewing companies have developed into global multinationals, and the beer market has enjoyed strong growth in emerging economies, but there has been a substantial decline of beer consumption in traditional markets and a shift to new products. There is close interaction between governments and markets in the beer industry. For centuries, taxes on beer or its raw materials have been a major source of tax revenue and governments have regulated the beer industry for reasons related to quality, health, and competition.
This book is the first economic analysis of the beer market and brewing industry. The introduction provides an economic history of beer, from monasteries in the early Middle Ages to the recent 'microbrewery movement', whilst other chapters consider whether people drink more beer during recessions, the effect of television on local breweries, and what makes a country a 'beer drinking' nation. It comprises a comprehensive and unique set of economic research and analysis on the economics of beer and brewing and covers economic history and development, supply and demand, trade and investment, geography and scale economies, technology and innovation, health and nutrition, quantity and quality, industrial organization and competition, taxation and regulation, and regional beer market developments.
List of contents
- Part I: History
- 1: Eline Poelmans and Johan F. M. Swinnen: A Brief Economic History of Beer
- 2: Richard W. Unger: Beer Production, Profits, and Public Authorities in the Renaissance
- 3: Frank van Tongeren: Standards and International Trade Integration: A Historical Review of the German 'Reinheitsgebot'
- 4: John V. C. Nye: Brewing Nation: War, Taxes, and the Growth of the British Beer Industry in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries
- 5: Damiaan Persyn, Johan F. M. Swinnen, and Stijn Vanormelingen: Belgian Beers: Where History Meets Globalization
- Part II: Consumption
- 6: Donald G. Freeman: Cold Comfort in Hard Times: Do People Drink More Beer during Recessions?
- 7: Liesbeth Colen and Johan F. M. Swinnen: Beer-Drinking Nations: The Determinants of Global Beer Consumption
- 8: Carol Horton Tremblay and Victor J. Tremblay: Recent Economic Developments in the Import and Craft Segments of the US Brewing Industry
- 9: Jill J. McCluskey and Sanatan Shreay: Culture and Beer Preferences
- Part III: Industrial Organization
- 10: Margaret E. Slade: Competition Policy towards Brewing: Rational Response to Market Power or Unwarranted Interference in Efficient Markets?
- 11: Kenneth G. Elzinga and Anthony W. Swisher: Developments in US Merger Policy: The Beer Industry as Lens
- 12: Lisa M. George: The Growth of Television and the Decline of Local Beer
- 13: William James Adams: Determinants of the Concentration in Beer Markets in Germany and the United States: 1950-2005
- 14: Johan F. M. Swinnen and Kristine Van Herck: How the East was Won: The Foreign Takeover of the Eastern European Brewing Industry
- Part IV: The New Beer Markets
- 15: Junfei Bai, Jikun Huang, Scott Rozelle, and Matt Boswell: Beer Battles in China: The Struggle over the World's Largest Beer Market
- 16: Koen Deconinck and Johan F. M. Swinnen: From Vodka to Baltika: A Perfect Storm in the Russian Beer Market
- 17: Abhimanyu Arora, Anjor Bhaskar, Bart Minten, and Anneleen Vandeplas: Opening the Beer Gates: How Liberalization Caused Growth in India's Beer Market
- Part V: Conclusion
- 18: Johan F. M. Swinnen and Thijs Vandemoortele: Beeronomics: The Economics of Beer and Brewing
About the author
Johan Swinnen is Professor of Economics and Director of the LICOS Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance at the University of Leuven (KUL) and Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), Brussels, where he directs the programme on EU agricultural and food policy. He was previously Lead Economist at the World Bank and Economic Advisor at the European Commission. He consults for the OECD, FAO, EBRD, UNDP, IFAD, and several governments and was coordinator of international research networks on food policy, institutional reforms, and economic development. He is President-Elect of the International Association of Agricultural Economists and a Fellow of the European Association of Agricultural Economists. He holds a PhD from Cornell University. He has published widely on political economy, institutional reform, trade, and agricultural and food policy.
Summary
The first economic analysis of the beer market and brewing industry, this volume examines the history and consumption of beer, industrial organization, and new beer markets. It presents global developments as well as country studies from Europe, the US, China, Russia, and India.
Additional text
Overall, the book displays the authors' strong command over practical and contextual beer market questions. The range of topics is well distilled, offering multiple insights into the workings of beer markets.
Report
...this volume is an important step forward for the popularization and professionalization of beer and brewing research. Martin Stack, EH.net
