Seminar

Past

Introduction of a Harm Reduction Method: When Does It Help and When Does it Backfire?

Davide Dragone

  • Date13 May 2022
  • Time 11h00 - 12h30
  • Room Auditorium 3

Abstract

Some harm reduction strategies encourage individuals to switch from a harmful addictive good to a less harmful addictive good; examples include e-cigarettes (substitutes for combustible cigarettes) and methadone and buprenorphine (substitutes for opioids). Harm reduction methods have proven to be controversial. Advocates argue that addicts benefit because they can switch to a less harmful substance, but opponents argue that this could increase addiction and even encourage non-users to begin using the addictive goods. This paper builds on theories of addiction to model the introduction of a harm reduction method, and it demonstrates the conditions under which each side is correct; i.e. the conditions under which introducing a harm reduction method can lead to quitting of the original addictive good, and the conditions under which it can lead previous abstainers to begin using the harm reduction method and even the original, more harmful, addictive good. Knowledge of these conditions is helpful for understanding the consequences of harm reduction methods in various markets.

Other seminars

Past

Tax Evasion, Exclusionary Practices, and Competition Policy

  • Seminar

  • Industrial Organization seminar

    Public Economics Seminar

  • Date 9 September 2026

  • Place Auditorium 4

  • Speaker or organiser Martin Besfamille (Pontifica Universidad Catolica de Chile)

Details

Past

Dying Better: Hospice Care and the End of Life

  • Seminar

  • Public Economics Seminar

  • Date 11 December 2025

  • Place Auditorium 4

  • Speaker or organiser Yunan Ji

Details

Past

Competition and Innovation: The Breakup of IG Farben

  • Seminar

  • Public Economics Seminar

  • Date 5 December 2025

  • Place Auditorium 4

  • Speaker or organiser Felix Poege

Details