ABSTRACT
This book has two ambitions that reflect the series concern: that of being a feminist book which on the basis of the recognition of genderbased and other socially constructed differences studies the inequalities that are justified on their basis; and that of being an economics book, which aims to generate progressive policy prescriptions that redress such inequalities. As the opening quote suggests, we believe that a key characteristic of prostitution is its wide stigmatisation, which depending on the context can affect both sex workers and their clients. We therefore make an explicit effort to include the effect of stigma on individuals in our description of prostitution. Whilst retaining many of the assumptions of the economists’ toolbox (rational action, representative agents with optimising behaviour and equilibrium) we also hope to enrich the economists’ approach by considering socially aware agents, that is individuals who derive both material and immaterial rewards (and punishments) from their actions. Social construction is therefore at the centre of our approach, and it is presented as the interplay between individual reputations and behaviour and social norms.
