| 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. |