Market Imperfection

I'd like to highlight a conversation at theobscurer on the smoking ban and imperfect markets, click here to take a look. Quinn makes a good point: in this instance the smoking ban 'breaks' a Prisoner's Dilemma,

I would say that landlords would have been reluctant to go smoke-free unilaterally even if they had wanted to knowing that while other pubs did allow smoking they would lose the custom of their current clientele who are smokers and their friends; it would be a gamble to hope that enough new non-smoking customers would be attracted in to replace the shortfall, and I doubt in practice that would happen. With an outright ban, however, where all pubs must multilaterally go smoke-free, there is not the same concern.

If a group of 6 people go down the pub, and there's a choice of smoking vs. non-smoking venues, how many of the group would have to be non-smokers before the group would go to the non-smoking pub? I'd say it'd have to be unanimous - I've often sat in the smoking section of a restaurant even if only one of the group is a smoker.

So perhaps people resent this, and vote for a change in the law to enforce a policy they're too weak to insist upon amongst their friends ('Ok, we'll go to a place that allows smoking, and end up stinking, just because one of the group is a smoker. Hmph. But if I just allow the state to intervene, I get my way without feeling like a bastard'). Isn't that cowardice? I suspect some smokers favoured the policy as well, as a commitment mechanism ('I want to quit, but lack the will power. To help me quit, I'm going to inflict my preferences on other people'). Isn't that repulsive?

Comments

[Quinn]

The answer is probably "yes" and "yes". I've never before thought to explain away state intervention on the basis that we are replusive cowards, but there is a certain logic to it!

[mark]

apparently the % of smokers in the UK is around 27%-well they must exert fantastic influence if the government chose this way to introduce a ban.
I worry that the way this ban works actually makes smoking more appealing,a bit naughty,the lads outside all smoking etc. where as in grotty,sealed smoking rooms,they look a bit sad?

[aje]

There was a classic episode of Friends where Rachel took up smoking so that she wouldn't miss out on the decisions that were being made when the smokers all went outside to light up...

Also, there's more smokers than there are Labour voters, which is wierd, surely.