Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/280877 
Year of Publication: 
2023
Series/Report no.: 
SITE Working Paper No. 63
Publisher: 
Stockholm School of Economics, Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics (SITE), Stockholm
Abstract: 
We investigate the causal effect of the asymmetric criminalization of prostitution on sex tourism. We exploit legal reforms in five countries that switched from systems where prostitution was legal (Norway, Sweden, Ireland, Canada), or where only buying sex was legal (France), to the "Nordic model" where only buying is criminalized. Using a difference-in-differences approach on data from Google trends and tourism statistics, we estimate the impact of the reforms on tourism flows to neighboring countries and popular sex tourism destinations. We find significant effects for countries where prostitution was legal, but not for France where selling sex was prohibited.
Subjects: 
Prostitution
Nordic model of prostitution
Regulation
Sex tourism
Google Trends
Policy spillovers
JEL: 
D04
I18
J47
K14
K42
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.