Incentives Burlesque

27 January 2009 at 4:22 am Lasse 3 comments

| Lasse Lien |

Speaking of incentives, here is an anecdote you probably don’t need to know. In Norway prostitution is illegal, but the ban has until recently been only on the seller side. Now, new legislation has also made buying illegal. Since this most likely will destroy much of the market, one political party (actually a member of the government coalition) suggested that the government pay severance packages to prostitutes that are forced out of business. My question is why only prostitutes? Shouldn’t all criminals that are forced to change careers because of government action be duly compensated?

Entry filed under: - Lien -.

The Heath Brothers on Incentives Department of Irony, Cass Sunstein Edition

3 Comments Add your own

1. Peter Klein | 27 January 2009 at 9:59 am

In the US they could apply for bailout money from the Troubled Asset Relief Program. Why shouldn’t human assets count?
2. Lasse | 28 January 2009 at 3:21 am

My hope for the future is that a person like Bernie Madoff will be handsomly compensated . What can be more painful than what he has gone through.
3. Rolf Marvin Bøe Lindgren | 2 February 2009 at 5:37 pm

I’m sorry to report that you got your facts wrong. Prostitution was legal until last year, when buying sex became illegal.So prostitutes have never been criminal.