Economists talk about sex. (always fun)

Purportedly Via Marginal Revolution:

Should prostitution be cartelized?

...snip...

Second, prostitution as an occupation, might be subject to crowding costs.' In that case a tax or quantity restriction can improve matters, just as a toll on a busy road might decrease congestion by pushing people toward less crowded routes (average vs. marginal values).

...snip...

As for zoning, had I mentioned that in Amsterdam one can find a kindergarten right between two open-window whorehouses?' I was told by one woman that this is 'not a problem.'' She was, however, a former prostitute and perhaps not a credible source; she may have been concerned with the Pigouvian definition of externalities (the externality runs one way only) at the expense of the Coasean definition (consider the effects on all relevant parties).

In Amsterdam (I am told), twenty minutes in the red light district costs 30 to 50 Euros.' I wonder how close that is to an optimal degree of cartelization?

Addendum: How is this for a bizarre sentence?

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