Public Interest or Policy Diffusion: Analyzing the Effects of Massage Therapist Municipal Licensing

50 Pages Posted: 16 Oct 2022

See all articles by Darwyyn Deyo

Darwyyn Deyo

San Jose State University

Kofi Ampaabeng

George Mason University - Mercatus Center

Conor Norris

Knee Center for the Study of Occupational Regulation

Edward Timmons

West Virginia University - Department of Economics

Date Written: September 29, 2022

Abstract

Massage therapy is widely licensed by the states. However, municipalities also often passed massage therapist licensing, motivated by preventing prostitution. Using a novel dataset on municipal licensing and crime data from the FBI, we test if local massage therapist licensing reduced prostitution. We also test a policy diffusion hypothesis, in which cities pass responsive massage therapist licensing. We find that municipal massage therapist licensing does not lead to a reduction in prostitution, but we find support for the policy diffusion hypothesis, with municipalities up to 65% more likely to pass responsive licensing within three years of their neighbor doing so.

Keywords: economics of crime, occupational licensing, policing

JEL Classification: J44, K29, K42

Suggested Citation

Deyo, Darwyyn and Ampaabeng, Kofi and Norris, Conor and Timmons, Edward, Public Interest or Policy Diffusion: Analyzing the Effects of Massage Therapist Municipal Licensing (September 29, 2022). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4240858 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4240858

Darwyyn Deyo

San Jose State University ( email )

San Jose, CA 95192
United States

Kofi Ampaabeng

George Mason University - Mercatus Center

Conor Norris

Knee Center for the Study of Occupational Regulation ( email )

Morgantown, WV 26506
United States

Edward Timmons (Contact Author)

West Virginia University - Department of Economics ( email )

Morgantown, WV 26506
United States

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