International comparative explorations of prostitution policies: lessons from two European projects

Abstract

In this contribution we reflect on our experiences of co-designing and coordinating two comparative projects on prostitution policies in Europe by focusing in particular on the epistemological workings underpinning their design and execution. We set out two main goals. The first is to shed light on what the epistemological and methodological issues we encountered reveal about the field of prostitution policy studies, an endeavor which can contribute to better comparative research in the field. The second goal is to relate the scope, developments, outcomes and expectations of the two projects to recent attempts to identify a “one-size-fits-all” model of prostitution regulation, and to interrogate whether transplanting it across Europe is a desirable outcome. Building on the lessons learned from the projects, we propose an approach to prostitution policy development that is reflective of the specific contexts within which the policies are meant to be applied.

Keywords:

• cross-national comparative research
• epistemological labor
• European harmonization
• legal cultures
• prostitution regulation

ORCID

Isabel Crowhurst http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8125-7147

May-Len Skilbrei http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2540-9681

Notes

1 We have been among the original ideators and then the coordinators of these projects. However, both are the result of collaborations with many colleagues and we do not claim ownership over them. This contribution emerges from the fruitful epistemic encounters that these projects facilitated but it is not meant to represent the views of all those who participated in the projects. It is based on our own reflections of these projects, reflections which, we argue, offer rich empirical insights into the status and opportunities offered by prostitution policy studies in Europe.

2 All social research is comparative to an extent, and by using the term “explicitly comparative” here we refer to

studies of societies, countries, cultures, systems, institutions, social structures and change over time and space, when they are carried out with the intention of using the same research tools to compare systematically the manifestations of phenomena in more than one temporal or spatial sociocultural setting (Hantrais 2009, 2; authors’ emphasis).

3 Here Weitzer reviews different types of comparative research designs in prostitution and sex trafficking and makes a case for having more comparative small-n studies, based on two to four national or subnational cases. This, he claims, is the best approach to enable the collection of more valid statistics, more reliable measurement and richer insights into the lived experiences of those operating in the sex industry (Weitzer 2015).

4 http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+TA+P7-TA-2014-0162+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN

5 See Skilbrei and Holmström (2013) for a problematization of a homogeneous “Nordic model” and a detailed analysis of the notable differences in prostitution policies in the countries that are described as being part of it (Sweden, Norway and Iceland).

6 http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//NONSGML+COMPARL+PE-519.748+01+DOC+PDF+V0//EN&language=EN

7 For more information on the workshop, see http://archives.esf.org/index.php?eID=tx_nawsecuredl&u=0&g=0&t=1514553903&hash=89b30dbbb843acb41031a37e81efa29100923e72&file=/fileadmin/be_user/ew_docs/09-249_Report.pdf

8 www.cost.eu

9 The Action had over 90 members from 25 countries, 23 from the European geographical areas, and 2 international partners (New Zealand and the USA), see www.prospol.eu

10 The Action’s steering group comprised nine members, including the authors.

11 However, as mentioned earlier, this is certainly not the only outcome achieved: many new studies, publications, capacity building initiatives, grant applications and more have emerged and are still emerging from the collaborations that have been forged through the projects.