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Author of Freakonomics, Steven Levitt, along with Sudhir Venkatesh, released a preliminary version of their new study on the prostitution market in Chicago. My favorite discovery of all:

A prostitute is more likely to have sex with a police officer than to get officially arrested by one.

I recommend skimming the whole thing. Its interesting to see how economic laws can apply to even the taboo and fringe aspects of life. For instance, Johns pay a premium for sex without a condom; that premium is comparatively higher for more risky types of intercourse.

Moreover, the wages for the occupation of prostitute are above the national average at $25-30 per hour. The relatively high wages of prostitutes can be attributed to the significant risk associated with the job.

The new issue of The Economist features an article on the study.

Last 5 posts by Ryan

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