The good folks over at Marginal Revolution show again that they are paying attention to all things economic by bringing our attention to New Zealand’s decriminalization of prostitution.
Alex is so intrigued by the sex-safety manual (PDF) produced by the NZ equivalent of OSHA that he doesn’t get around to discussing the economic side of the decriminalization. Who can blame him? The manual is both well done and a hoot! I’ve downloaded a copy to read at leisure but even a brief skim will be both instructional and entertaining for any of you so inclined.
PZ Myers adds that the Kiwi feds have published a straightforward, unblushing guide to safe sex behavior and suggests that the manual’s section on repetitive stress injuries might also be useful to computer-using geeks.
One thing that is not quite clear to me is whether the ability to produce an entertaining manual is enough to justify the governments involvement in the business. I can’t think of any other good reasons…
Oh, the answers provided for the IQ question posed by Alex Tabarrok seem, at first look, to provide a topological solution more then a safe sex solution.