ABSTRACT
Politics and policy-making are always about confl icts of meaning (Schattschneider 1960: 68); issues only make it to the political agenda when they are defi ned in such a way that they merit government attention and survive the competition about which issues are the most important ones for governments to address. Problem defi nition is about allotting blame and responsibility: who is to blame for a problem, who has the right to speak about it, who must solve it? The way a problem is defi ned also determines the direction of its solution and affects who will gain control over the policy. Many actors have a stake in the issue of prostitution and aim to make their defi nition of the issue hegemonic. Actors can be politicians, civil servants, interest groups or social movements, such as women’s movements’ groups. And the latter are deeply divided on the issue.
