Do Changes in Bar Opening Hours Influence Violence in the Night? Evidence from 13 Bavarian Towns

Changes in opening hours for on-premise drinking places may influence the level of alcohol-related violence in two ways. The increased availability of alcohol increases the risks associated with it, while restrictive opening hours may produce more occasions for crime due to overcrowding at closing time. We use a quasi-experimental design with data from 13 Bavarian towns with and without restrictive opening hours and a negative binomial panel model. The outcome measure is violent incidents reported by the police between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. over the period of 12 years. Incidents at night disproportionally increase over the study period in the sample. After controlling for daily violence as well as for an interaction between policy regime and violence level, we find that restricted opening hours are only beneficial within settings of a low daily violence level