Purpose

The purpose is to assess the impact of online platforms on the sex industry, focusing specifically on direct sex work, and evaluate what approaches to platform regulation is likely to align with the interests of sex workers.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presents a review of interdisciplinary conceptual and empirical literature on sex work combined with analysis of key issues using a transaction cost framework.

Findings

Online platforms generally make sex work safer. Regulation aimed at preventing platforms from serving sex workers is likely to harm their welfare.

Research limitations/implications

Regulation of online platforms should take great care to differentiate coercive sex from consensual sex work, and allow sex workers to experiment with governance mechanisms provided by entrepreneurs.

Originality/value

The paper demonstrates how a transactions costs approach to market behaviour as applied to personal services like ridesharing can also shed light on the challenges that sex workers face, partly as a result of criminalisation, and the dangers of over-regulation.

中文翻译：

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性工作和在线平台：监管应该做什么？

目的

目的是评估在线平台对性行业的影响，特别关注直接性工作，并评估哪些平台监管方法可能符合性工作者的利益。

设计/方法/方法

本文回顾了性工作的跨学科概念和实证文献，并结合使用交易成本框架对关键问题的分析。

发现

在线平台通常使性工作更安全。旨在阻止平台为性工作者服务的法规可能会损害他们的福利。

研究限制/影响

网络平台的监管应非常注意区分强迫性与自愿性工作，并允许性工作者尝试企业家提供的治理机制。

原创性/价值

该论文展示了将交易成本方法应用于拼车等个人服务的市场行为如何也可以揭示性工作者面临的挑战，部分原因是刑事定罪和过度监管的危险。