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Sex Work Regulation and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Tijuana, Mexico

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  • Troy Quast
  • Fidel Gonzalez

Abstract

While reducing the transmission of sexually transmitted infections is a common argument for regulating sex work, relatively little empirical evidence is available regarding the effectiveness of these policies. We investigate the effects of highly publicized sex work regulations introduced in 2005 in Tijuana, Mexico on the incidence of trichomoniasis. State‐level, annual data for the 1995–2012 period are employed that include the incidence rates of trichomoniasis by age group and predictor variables. We find that the regulations led to a decrease in the incidence rate of trichomoniasis. Specifically, while our estimates are somewhat noisy, the all‐ages incidence rate in the 2005–2012 period is roughly 37% lower than what is predicted by our synthetic control estimates and corresponds to approximately 800 fewer reported cases of trichomoniasis per year. We find that the decreases are especially pronounced for 15–24 and 25–44 age cohorts. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Suggested Citation

  • Troy Quast & Fidel Gonzalez, 2017. "Sex Work Regulation and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Tijuana, Mexico," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(5), pages 656-670, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:hlthec:v:26:y:2017:i:5:p:656-670
    DOI: 10.1002/hec.3339
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Ermanno Affuso & Khandokar M. Istiak & Alex Sharland, 2022. "Sovereign wealth funds and economic growth," Journal of Asset Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 23(3), pages 201-214, May.
    2. Seiro Ito & Aurélia Lépine & Carole Treibich, 2018. "The effect of sex work regulation on health and well‐being of sex workers: Evidence from Senegal," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(11), pages 1627-1652, November.
    3. Johanna Catherine Maclean & Brendan Saloner, 2018. "Substance Use Treatment Provider Behavior and Healthcare Reform: Evidence from Massachusetts," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(1), pages 76-101, January.
    4. David Powell, 2016. "Synthetic Control Estimation Beyond Case Studies Does the Minimum Wage Reduce Employment?," Working Papers WR-1142, RAND Corporation.

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