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Abstract
In contrast to West-Germany, illicit drugs were virtually absent in the East-Germany until 1990. Yet, after the collapse of the former GDR, East-Germany was expected to encounter a sharp increase in the prevalence of substance abuse. By analyzing individual data, we find that East-Germany largely caught up with West-Germany’s ever-growing prevalence of illicit drugs within a single decade. We decompose the west-east difference in prevalence rates into an explained and an unexplained part using a modified Blinder-Oaxaca procedure. This decomposition suggests that the observed convergence is just weakly related to socioeconomic characteristics and therefore remains mainly unexplained. That is, West- and East-Germans seem to have become more alike per se. We conclude that both parts of the country have converged in terms of the culture of drug consumption.
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Response to Referee 2
Many thanks for your comments. They were indeed very constructive. You will find below some indication of how I will take them into account in preparing the revision of the paper.
Best Regards,
Harald
See attached file
Response to Referee 1
Many thanks for your comments. They were indeed very constructive. You will find below some indication of how I will take them into account in preparing the revision of the paper.
Best Regards,
Harald