Social Science Seminar Series: The Effect of Taxes on Sugar-Sweetened Beverages in the U.S.

Please join us for the first event in the fall 2025 Social Science Seminar Series. John Cawley, Ph.D., the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Chair in Public Policy in the Economics Department at Syracuse University, will present The Effect of Taxes on Sugar-Sweetened Beverages in the U.S.

During the past decade, dozens of countries, regions, and cities have enacted taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages. They have been primarily motivated by a desire to raise prices, reduce sales and consumption, improve population health, and raise revenue. Learn how taxes affected those outcomes for adults and kids. Hear suggestions for improving the design of such taxes and directions for future research.

This event is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by the social science departments: anthropology, criminology and sociology; economics; political science; and psychology.