As we all love science and things official, I just read in my local paper about an official report being issued on prostitution in Belgium; even co-sponsored by the Belgium Central bank. Now imagine.


Highlights:

- The scene is highly (economically) informal. Duh. That is however important for economists, as the European Central Bank uses economic models about countries National Products that should include the informal economic activities. So the Netherlands has to include their coffeeshop earnings, the Wallen prostitution etc. And we (BE) should include prostitition (and possible, illegal arms trade ?).

- RLD prostitution is relative easy to locate and regulate; street prostitution is extremely liquid: outlaw it in one area and it pops back nearby, maybe with a slight delay. Most politicians now agree that prostitution is impossible to outlaw 100% as it will go illegal and agree to concentrate it instead. No-one wants street walkers, however.

- The only really large RLD's are Antwerpen and Bruxellees. The others (Gent, Liege) are small to (Oostende, Charleroi) marginal.

- Antwerpen is doing much, much better that Bruxelles: 900.000 transactions (a year ?) against 600.000. Interestingly, earnings are even more dramatic: 62 million Euro agains 34. That makes an Antwerp visit more expensive than a Brussels one. No comments made on value-for-money, sadly...

- Antwerpen is also much more concentrated and controlled than Bruxelles. It is stated to 'feel safer' (by the researchers ?).

- Most woman work out of economic reasons; force is vanishing rapidly.

- Most clients are regulars. A relative small part of clients is responsible for the majority of visits.

- In Bruxelles, there is a big difference even within the RLD, which is officially located in 2 communities: the main street, the Rue d'Aerschot (parallel to the railway tracks) in Schaerbeeck, the lower end (the hillside smaller streets off the main street) in St. Josse. Schaerbeeck does well: 26 million versus only 8 in St. Josse. Occupation of windows is 50% in Schaerbeeck against only 25% in St. Josse. I do not know if the researchers assumed a 100% occupancy to be 24 hours out of 24, however, so daytime and evening shift figures might be different - but is shows a trend. Session prices: an average 60 in Schaerbeeck against 40 in St. Josse.

- Earnings differ per:
- - Location: Schaerbeeck better than S. Josse.
- - Ethnicity: (eastern) European better than African.
- - Age: young better than old.


Your high-school examn training this week:
- A window seat in Schaerbeeck is now reported to cost between EUR 150 and 200 for a 12-hour shift. Now do your homework and make a feasibility study for a 20 -year old Bulgarian versus a 35 -year old Congolese.


so far from the economics desk,

Gaston.

Thanks for posting this report, Gaston.

Interesting read indeed. I have fond memories of many sessions I had on Rue D'Aerschot. I passed through the area recently, and to my surprise I saw a good number of hot looking girls. Other venues seem to have gone downhill, in this regard. Not sure about the level of service today (my last session over there was in 2011 if memory serves), but some of the details in this report are definitely interesting.

D.

Ah. An answer to my question. I shall visit Liege and see what the rld is like. Has Namur got an rld? Charleroi? ??