State Regulation of the Demerit Goods Turnover: Comparative Historical Analysis and New Challenges

This paper raises the question of the validity of the need for changes in the regulatory policy in the sphere of turnover of certain demerit goods. The peculiarity of such goods as the object of regulation we were allocated a low demand elasticity of such goods, income and a high rate of differencirovannoe market for such goods, expressed in the grouping of consumers according to each individual goods and the low substitutability of the latter. In view of the differences in the interpretation of the concepts necessary for understanding the topic, the view was expressed that it would be desirable to gradually converge the list of terms in accordance with the position of the world regulator in the field of health policy. On the basis of a comparative historical analysis of the experience of 4 countries, we have shown the ineffectiveness of applying exclusively biased measures for such goods with the above regulatory features. In addition, the classification of models of regulation of one of the groups of goods on the basis of qualitative and quantitative criteria of goods was proposed and the conclusion was made about the need to take into account price and non-price criteria when choosing the optimal scenario of regulatory policy in relation to the alcohol market. In the last Chapter, the experience of assessing the quantitative component of harm from the turnover of another group of demerit goods was studied, the thesis of the need to introduce a separate legal category for goods of this kind was derived and justified, and a number of possible qualitative criteria for classifying goods in this category were proposed. Finally, on the basis of the need for a systematic approach to regulatory policy on demerit goods and the existence of a classification of regulatory models for a similar group of goods, options for substances to be included in this category and tested as a "safe controlled alternative" to existing unsafe and discontinued analogues were proposed.