The Vicious Circle That’s Forcing Us — FORCING US — to Drink at Bars We Hate

“[I]t’s very difficult to open new bars. And the result is a pernicious feedback loop. With too few bars around, most good bars are typically crowded. This crowdedness alienates neighbors, and it also has a selecting effect on the types of people who choose to go to bars — those interested in a loud, rowdy environment, who will often tend to be loud and rowdy. This alienates neighbors even more, leading to tighter restrictions still and exacerbating the problem.” — Economist editor Ryan Avent explains why the American bar scene is so much worse than England’s.