Does Competition Eliminate Discrimination? Evidence from the Commercial Sex Market in Singapore / Huailu Li, Kevin Lang, Kaiwen Leong.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Li, Huailu.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Lang, Kevin.

Leong, Kaiwen.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w20911.

NBER working paper series no. w20911

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2015.

Summary:

The street sex worker market in Geylang, Singapore is highly competitive. Clients can search legally at negligible cost. Sex workers discriminate based on client ethnicity despite an excess supply of sex workers. Workers are more (less) likely to approach and ask a higher (lower) price of Caucasians (Bangladeshis), based on their perceived willingness to pay. They avoid Indians, set a significantly higher price and are less likely to reach an agreement with them, suggesting that Indians face taste discrimination. These findings remain even after controlling for prostitute fixed effects and are consistent with the workers' self-reported attitudes and beliefs.

Notes:

Print version record

January 2015.