The Economics of Beer

The first economic analysis of the beer market and brewing industry, this volume examines the history and consumption of beer, industrial organisation, and new beer markets. It presents global developments as well as country studies from Europe, the US, China, Russia, and India.

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.

PART I: HISTORY
1. A Brief Economic History of Beer
2. Beer Production, Profits, and Public Authorities in the Renaissance
3. Standards and International Trade Integration: A Historical Review of the German 'Reinheitsgebot'
4. Brewing Nation:
War, Taxes, and the Growth of the British Beer Industry in the 18th and 19th Centuries
5. Belgian Beers: Where History Meets Globalization
PART II: CONSUMPTION
6. Cold Comfort in Hard Times: Do People Drink More Beer During Recessions?
7. Beer Drinking Nations: The Determinants of Global Beer Consumption
8. Recent Economic Developments in the Import and Craft Segments of the US Brewing Industry
9. Culture and Beer Preferences
PART III: INDUSTRIAL ORGANIZATION
10. Competition Policy Towards Brewing: Rational Response to Market Power or Unwarranted Interference in Efficient Markets?
11. Developments in US Merger Policy:
The Beer Industry as Lens
12. The Growth of Television and the Decline of Local Beer
13. Determinants of the Concentration in Beer Markets in Germany and the United States: 1950 - 2005
14. How the East was Won: The Foreign Takeover of the Eastern European Brewing Industry
PART IV: THE NEW BEER MARKETS
15. Beer Battles in China: The Struggle over the World's Largest Beer Market
16. From Vodka to Baltika: A Perfect Storm in the Russian Beer Market
17. Opening the Beer Gates: How Liberalization Caused Growth in India's Beer Market
PART V: CONCLUSION
18. Beeronomics: The Economics of Beer and Brewing