It is hard to find systematic data on alcohol and cultural innovation, but a recent working paper by the economist Michael Andrews, “Bar Talk: Informal Social Interactions, Alcohol Prohibition, and Invention,” represents one fascinating attempt to do so. Andrews begins by reviewing the literature in economics on “collective invention,”12 which documents the manner in which informal, chance social interactions drive innovation and growth. This is one fairly obvious reason that dense urban areas, particularly if they include a mix of industries and academic institutions, tend to be sources of
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