Question

The markets for prostitution in Nevada and New Jersey have two important differences: 1) prostitutes in New Jersey face higher costs because of government efforts to prosecute them and 2) customers in New Jersey face higher risks of contracting diseases from prostitutes because the illegal nature of the business makes reliable information about product quality much more costly to obtain. Given these facts, which state would you expect the price of prostitution services to be higher? Why? Which state would have the higher amount of services consumed (adjusted for population differences)? Why? What are the underlying economic issues of this market?

Answer 1

Given these facts, which state would you expect the price of prostitution services to be higher? Why?

• Since the risks associated to prostitution are higher in New Jersey, we could assume that the price for these services will be higher there. The supply curve of prostitution shift to the left, increasing the price and decreasing the quantity.

Which state would have the higher amount of services consumed (adjusted for population differences)? Why? What are the underlying economic issues of this market?

• Since the price is higher in New Jersey, the quantity demanded will be lower. Also, the risks associated to consuming the service will shift the demand curve to the left, reducing the quantity.