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What money buys: clients of street sex workers in the US

Author

Listed:
  • Marina Della Giusta
  • Maria Laura Di Tommaso
  • Isilda Shima
  • Steinar Strøm

Abstract

The article presents a review of current theoretical and empirical approaches to sex work, followed by the presentation of an original theoretical framework (Della Giusta et al., 2006), which is tested with an econometric model of the characteristics of demand for sex services by a sample of clients of street sex workers in the US. We present findings in relation to stigma and the relationship between paid and unpaid sex that corroborate our model's hypotheses and are in line with findings from other empirical studies. Furthermore, we identify in our sample two diametrically opposite profiles: one for clients whom we label 'experimenters', and one for more experienced ones that we name 'regulars', we also estimate attitudes toward risk, and draw implications in terms of both policy and future theoretical and empirical research.

Suggested Citation

  • Marina Della Giusta & Maria Laura Di Tommaso & Isilda Shima & Steinar Strøm, 2009. "What money buys: clients of street sex workers in the US," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(18), pages 2261-2277.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:applec:v:41:y:2009:i:18:p:2261-2277
    DOI: 10.1080/00036840701222561
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Nussbaum, Martha C, 1998. ""Whether from Reason or Prejudice": Taking Money for Bodily Services," The Journal of Legal Studies, University of Chicago Press, vol. 27(2), pages 693-724, June.
    2. Samuel Cameron & Alan Collins & Neill Thew, 1999. "Prostitution services: an exploratory empirical analysis," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(12), pages 1523-1529.
    3. Richard Arnott & Joseph Stiglitz, 1991. "Equilibrium in Competitive Insurance Markets with Moral Hazard," NBER Working Papers 3588, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Samuel Cameron & Alan Collins, 2003. "Estimates of a Model of Male Participation in the Market for Female Heterosexual Prostitution Services," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 16(3), pages 271-288, November.
    5. Samuel Cameron, 2002. "The Economics of Sin," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 2582.
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    Cited by:

    1. Alexander Muravyev & Oleksandr Talavera, 2018. "Unsafe Sex in the City: Risk Pricing in the London Area," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 65(5), pages 528-549, November.
    2. Immordino, G. & Russo, F.F., 2015. "Regulating prostitution: A health risk approach," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 14-31.
    3. Giovanni Immordino & Francesco Flaviano Russo, 2012. "Regulating Prostitution: Theory and Evidence from Italy," CSEF Working Papers 308, Centre for Studies in Economics and Finance (CSEF), University of Naples, Italy, revised 12 Nov 2014.
    4. Marilena Locatelli & Steinar Strøm, 2018. "Demand for sexual services in Britain: Does Sex Education Matter?," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 65(5), pages 550-571, November.
    5. Maria Laura Di Tommaso & I. Shima & S. Strøm & F. Bettio, 2007. "As bad as it gets: well being deprivation of sexually exploited trafficked women," CHILD Working Papers wp10_07, CHILD - Centre for Household, Income, Labour and Demographic economics - ITALY.
    6. Seo-Young Cho, 2015. "Does Prostitution Constrain Sex Crimes? Micro-evidence from Korea," MAGKS Papers on Economics 201521, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Department of Economics (Volkswirtschaftliche Abteilung).
    7. Della Giusta, marina & Di Tommaso, Maria Laura & Jewell, Sarah L., 2014. "Stigma and Risky Behaviors among Clients of Prostitutes," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis. Working Papers 201419, University of Turin.
    8. Shoji, Masahiro & Tsubota, Kenmei, 2022. "Sexual exploitation of trafficked children: Survey evidence from child sex workers in Bangladesh," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(1), pages 101-117.
    9. Masahiro Shoji & Kenmei Tsubota, 2018. "Sexual Exploitation of Trafficked Children: Evidence from Bangladesh," Working Papers 175, JICA Research Institute.
    10. Wilson Nicholas, 2019. "The World’s Oldest Profession? Employment-Age Profiles from the Transactional Sex Market," IZA Journal of Labor Policy, Sciendo & Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 9(1), pages 1-17, June.
    11. Isilda Mara, 2009. "The New Face of Slavery in the Balkans," wiiw Balkan Observatory Working Papers 79, The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, wiiw.
    12. Andreas Lindenblatt & Peter Egger, 2017. "The long shadow of the Iron Curtain for female sex workers in German cities: Border effects and regional differences," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 54(3), pages 649-677, February.
    13. Marina Della Giusta & Maria Laura Di Tommaso & Sarah Jewell & Francesca Bettio, 2021. "Quashing demand or changing clients? Evidence of criminalization of sex work in the United Kingdom," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 88(2), pages 527-544, October.
    14. Alys Willman, 2008. "Safety First, Then Condoms: Commercial Sex, Risky Behavior, and the Spread of HIV/AIDS in Managua, Nicaragua," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(4), pages 37-65.
    15. Marina Della Giusta & Maria Laura Di Tommaso & Sarah Louise Jewell, 2017. "Men buying sex. Differences between urban and rural areas in the UK," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 54(3), pages 713-729, February.
    16. Della Giusta, Marina & Di Tommaso, Maria Laura & Jewell, Sarah & Bettio, Francesca, 2019. "Quashing Demand Criminalizing Clients? Evidence from the UK," IZA Discussion Papers 12405, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    17. Sonnabend, Hendrik & Stadtmann, Georg, 2018. "Good intentions and unintended evil? Adverse effects of criminalizing clients in paid sex markets with voluntary and involuntary prostitution," Discussion Papers 400, European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder), Department of Business Administration and Economics.
    18. 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.
    19. Karen Evelyn Hauge & Marte Eline Ulvestad, 2017. "Having a bad attitude? The relationship between attitudes and sickness absence," IZA Journal of Labor Policy, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 6(1), pages 1-27, December.
    20. Malcolm, Michael & Naufal, George S, 2014. "Are Pornography and Marriage Substitutes for Young Men?," IZA Discussion Papers 8679, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    21. Rocío Albert & Fernando Gómez & Yanna Gutierrez Franco, 2007. "Regulating Prostitution: A Comparative Law and Economics Approach," Working Papers 2007-30, FEDEA.
    22. Cunningham, Scott & DeAngelo, Gregory & Smith, Brock, 2020. "Fracking and risky sexual activity," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).

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    JEL classification:

    • C35 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Discrete Regression and Qualitative Choice Models; Discrete Regressors; Proportions
    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis

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