Manisha Shah

Last updated

Manisha Shah
CitizenshipUnited States
Academic career
Institution UCLA
FieldEconomics
Development
Alma mater University of California, Berkeley
Doctoral
advisor		 Ethan Ligon
Information at IDEAS / RePEc
Website https://luskin.ucla.edu/person/manisha-shah/

Manisha Shah is an economist, as well as Vice-Chair and Professor of Public Policy at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. [1] She received her PhD in economics from the University of California, Berkeley in agricultural and resource economics in 2006. [2] Additionally, she is the founding director of the Global Lab for Research in Action, an editor at the Journal of Health Economics [3] as well as a faculty research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, a research fellow at the Institute for the Study of Labor, and a faculty affiliate at the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab. [2]

Contents

Education and career

Manisha Shah received her B.A. in economics and development studies from University of California at Berkeley in 1995. [2] From there she moved to the London School of Economics, completing her master's degree in development studies in 1997. She then returned to Berkeley for a M.S. in agricultural and resource economics in 2003, followed by a PhD in agricultural and resource economics in 2006. [2]

Following her PhD, Shah was a lecturer in the University of Melbourne Department of Economics from 2006 to 2009. In 2009, she moved to UC Irvine as an assistant professor, as well as a visiting assistant professor at Princeton University's Center for Health & Wellbeing. In 2013, she was hired as an assistant professor in UCLA's Department of Public Policy. In 2014, she was promoted to associate professor, followed by promotion to full professor in 2018. [2]

Research and academic work

Shah's work has focused on sex work in both developing countries and the United States. Her study Risky Business: The Market for Unprotected Sex with Paul Gertler and Stefano Bertozzi was published in 2005 in the Journal of Political Economy . [4] The study focused on how beauty and willingness to have unprotected sex affected the bargaining power and earnings of sex workers in Mexico.

Shah made other contributions to our understanding of beauty's role in the organization of sex markets. For instance, in The Prostitute's Allure: The Return to Beauty in Commercial Sex Markets published with Raj Arunachalam in 2012 in B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, Shah showed further evidence that beauty was economically valued in illicit sex markets in Ecuador and Mexico. [5]

Her work has also challenged a common claim in economics that female sex workers are compensated relatively well for their low-skilled labor because they are sacrificing value in marriage prospects by engaging in sex work. [6] In a 2008 paper in the American Econimc Review: Papers & Proceedings Shah and Arunachalam provide evidence that in a sample of sex workers from Ecuador and Mexico, sex workers were more likely to be married than non-sex workers at younger ages. [7]

Shah has studied the effect of regulation and suppression of sex workers on various women's health outcomes including domestic violence and sexually transmitted infections in order to develop more effective policies and programs to combat such negative outcomes. [8] In a 2011 paper, Gertler and Shah found that enforcing street prostitution regulations reduces STIs among street prostitutes. But, increasing enforcement in the brothel sector increases the chances that a sex worker will ever be infected with an STI, suggesting that enforcement has mixed impacts on STI dynamics depending on the target of the regulations. [9] Cunningham and Shah followed this theme with a historical study of a decriminalization of indoor sex work in Rhode Island in 2003. Here they found that the decriminalization of indoor sex work caused a 30% reduction in reported rapes and a 40% reduction in female gonorrhea incidence. The authors suggest these changes were due to increased services available to now-legitimized sex workers, as well as potential sex offenders turning to sex workers over sexual violence due to the decreased monetary and social cost of patronizing sex workers.

Shah has also contributed to our understanding of the way in which internet technology improves the functioning of male sex markets. [10] In a 2013 paper, Logan and Shah noted that internet sex markets allowed potential sex workers and clients to engage in signalling, sharing photographs with certain clients to convey safety and in return receive higher earnings.

Shah was also co-editor of the Oxford University Press Handbook for the Economics of Prostitution with Scott Cunningham in 2016. [11] She also serves as an Associate Editor for The Review of Economics and Statistics. [12]

Shah has made contributions to the relationship between people's risky behaviors and natural disasters. In March 2014, Manisha Shah and Lisa Cameron, published a paper: Risk-Taking Behavior in the Wake of Natural Disasters. This paper proposes "while experiencing natural disasters, people usually tend to be more risk-averse than usual". [13]

Shah's work has also been supported by a number of foundations and institutions. These include, but are not limited to, the World Bank, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the National Science Foundation. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex worker</span> Person who is either a prostitute or works in the sex industry

A sex worker is a person who provides sex work, either on a regular or occasional basis. The term is used in reference to those who work in all areas of the sex industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex work</span> Offer of sexual services in exchange for money or other types of exchange

Sex work is "the exchange of sexual services, performances, or products for material compensation. It includes activities of direct physical contact between buyers and sellers as well as indirect sexual stimulation". Sex work only refers to voluntary sexual transactions; thus, the term does not refer to human trafficking and other coerced or nonconsensual sexual transactions such as child prostitution. The transaction must take place between consenting adults of the legal age and mental capacity to consent and must take place without any methods of coercion, other than payment. The term emphasizes the labor and economic implications of this type of work. Furthermore, some prefer the use of the term because it grants more agency to the sellers of these services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Male prostitution</span> Act or practice of men providing sexual services in return for payment

Male prostitution is the act or practice of men providing sexual services in return for payment. It is a form of sex work. Although clients can be of any gender, the vast majority are older males looking to fulfill their sexual needs. Male prostitutes have been far less studied than female prostitutes by researchers. Even so, male prostitution has an extensive history including regulation through homosexuality, conceptual developments on sexuality, and the HIV/AIDS, monkeypox, and COVID-19 epidemic impact. In the last century, male sex work has seen various advancements such as popularizing new sexual acts, methods of exchange, and carving out a spot in cinema.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prostitution in India</span> Prostitution in the country of India

Prostitution is legal in India, but a number of related activities including soliciting, kerb crawling, owning or managing a brothel, prostitution in a hotel, child prostitution, pimping and pandering are illegal. There are, however, many brothels illegally operating in Indian cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, and Chennai. UNAIDS estimate there were 657,829 prostitutes in the country as of 2016. Other unofficial estimates have calculated India has roughly 3–10 million prostitutes. India is widely regarded as having one of the world's largest commercial sex industry. It has emerged as a global hub of sex tourism, attracting sex tourists from wealthy countries. The sex industry in India is a multi-billion dollar one, and one of the fastest growing.

Moni Nag was an Indian anthropologist specialising in the politics of sexuality.

Prostitution in Rhode Island was outlawed in 2009. On November 3, 2009, Republican Governor Donald Carcieri signed into law a bill which makes the buying and selling of sexual services a crime.

Prostitution in Ecuador is legal and regulated, as long as the prostitute is over the age of 18, registered, and works from a licensed brothel. Prostitution is widespread throughout the country. Many brothels and prostitutes operate outside the regulatory system and the regulations have been less strictly enforced in recent years. 25,000 prostitutes were registered in the year 2000. In 2007 it was estimated that 70% of the prostitutes in the country were from Colombia. The country attracts Colombian prostitutes as the currency is the US$ rather than the unstable Colombian peso. UNAIDS estimate there to be 35,000 prostitutes in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex workers' rights</span> Human, health, and labor rights of sex workers and their clients

Sex workers' rights encompass a variety of aims being pursued globally by individuals and organizations that specifically involve the human, health, and labor rights of sex workers and their clients. The goals of these movements are diverse, but generally aim to legalize or decriminalize sex work, as well as to destigmatize it, regulate it and ensure fair treatment before legal and cultural forces on a local and international level for all persons in the sex industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prostitution in Vietnam</span> Overview of Prostitution in Vietnam

Prostitution in Vietnam is illegal and considered a serious crime. Nonetheless, Vietnam's Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) has estimated that there were 71,936 prostitutes in the country in 2013. Other estimates puts the number at up to 200,000.

Violence against prostitutes occurs worldwide, both through physical and psychological forms. The victims are predominantly women. In extreme cases, violent acts have led to their murder while in their workplace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feminist views on prostitution</span>

There exists a diversity of feminist views on prostitution. Many of these positions can be loosely arranged into an overarching standpoint that is generally either critical or supportive of prostitution and sex work. The discourse surrounding prostitution is often discussed assuming sex workers are women, but those in the field of sex work and prostitution are not always women.

Prostitution in Namibia is legal and a highly prevalent common practice. Related activities such as solicitation, procuring and being involved in the running of a brothel are illegal. A World Bank study estimated there were about 11,000 prostitutes in Namibia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prostitution in Laos</span>

Prostitution in Laos is regarded as a criminal activity and can be subject to severe prosecution. It is much less common than in neighbouring Thailand. Soliciting for prostitution takes place mainly in the city's bars and clubs, although street prostitution also takes place. The visibility of prostitution in Laos belies the practice's illegality. As of 2016, UNAIDS estimates there to be 13,400 prostitutes in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Decriminalization of sex work</span> Removal of criminal penalties for sex work

The decriminalization of sex work is the removal of criminal penalties for sex work. Sex work, the consensual provision of sexual services for money or goods, is criminalized in most countries. Decriminalization is distinct from legalization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nordic model approach to prostitution</span> Approach to prostitution law first instituted in Sweden in 1999

The Nordic model approach to prostitution, also known as the end demand, equality model, neo-abolitionism, partial decriminalization, and Swedish model, is an approach to prostitution law in which sex buyers are criminalized while prostitutes are decriminalized. It has been adopted in three of the five Nordic countries, but has no connection to the Nordic socioeconomic model. Under the Nordic model, prostitutes can typically sell their own services, but auxiliary procuration services, such as pimping, brothel-keeping, and third-party advertising remain illegal. The main objective of the model is to decrease the demand for prostitution by punishing the purchase of sexual services in order to decrease the volume of the illegal sex industry overall.

Sex worker abuse by police officers can occur in one or more ways. Police brutality refers to the intentional use of excessive force by a police officer, be it physical, verbal, or psychological. Police corruption is a form of police misconduct where an officer obtains financial benefits and/or career advancements in exchange for not pursuing, or selectively pursuing, an investigation or arrest. Police misconduct refers to inappropriate actions taken by police officers in connection with their official duties. Sex workers, particularly poor sex workers and those who had been manipulated, coerced, or forced into sex work, are at risk of being obliged or otherwise forced to provide free sexual services to police officers out of fear of being harmed or arrested. Some sex workers have reported that they have encountered police officers who have physically assaulted them without evidence of a crime and without making an arrest.

Lisa Cameron is an Australian economist currently working as a Professional Research Fellow at the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research at the University of Melbourne.

Petra Persson is a Swedish economist and Assistant Professor in Economics at Stanford University. Persson is best known for her work in Public and Labour Economics where her research focuses on the interactions between family decisions and the policy environment. Specifically, Persson's research agenda is centered on studying government policy, family wellbeing, and informal institutions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feminist views on the sex industry</span>

Feminist perspectives on sex markets vary widely, depending on the type of feminism being applied. The sex market is defined as the system of supply and demand which is generated by the existence of sex work as a commodity. The sex market can further be segregated into the direct sex market, which mainly applies to prostitution, and the indirect sex market, which applies to sexual businesses which provide services such as lap dancing. The final component of the sex market lies in the production and selling of pornography. With the distinctions between feminist perspectives, there are many documented instances from feminist authors of both explicit and implied feminist standpoints that provide coverage on the sex market in regards to both "autonomous" and "non-autonomous" sex trades. The quotations are added since some feminist ideology believe the commodification of women's bodies is never autonomous and therefore subversive or misleading by terminology.

Scott Cunningham is a professor of economics at Baylor University, Research Fellow of the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty, and Research Affiliate of the Computational Justice Lab. He is known for popularizing advances in non-experimental impact evaluation methods by making it more accessible to practitioners. He wrote the Yale University Press textbook Causal Inference: The Mixtape. He is the organizer of a 5k running race at the annual meetings of the American Economic Association.

References

  1. ↑ "Manisha Shah - UCLA Luskin" . Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Manisha Shah CV". UCLA Box. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  3. ↑ Elsevier. "Editorial board - Journal of Health Economics - ISSN 0167-6296". www.elsevier.com.
  4. ↑ Gertler, Paul; Shah, Manisha; Bertozzi, Stefano M. (June 1, 2005). "Risky Business: The Market for Unprotected Commercial Sex". Journal of Political Economy. 113 (3): 518–550. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.194.8463 . doi:10.1086/429700. S2CID   14622205.
  5. ↑ Arunachalam, Raj; Shah, Manisha (December 13, 2012). "The Prostitute's Allure: The Return to Beauty in Commercial Sex Work". The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy. 12 (1). doi:10.1515/1935-1682.3203. S2CID   30002925.
  6. ↑ Edlund, Lena; Korn, Evelyn (November 5, 2018). "A Theory of Prostitution". Journal of Political Economy. 110 (1): 181–214. doi:10.1086/324390. JSTOR   10.1086/324390. S2CID   15862773.
  7. ↑ Arunachalam R, Shah M (2008). "Prostitudes and Brides?" (PDF). American Economic Review: Papers and Proceedings. 98 (2): 516–522. doi:10.1257/aer.98.2.516 . Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  8. ↑ Gertler, Paul J.; Shah, Manisha (2011). "Sex Work and Infection: What's Law Enforcement Got to Do with It?". The Journal of Law & Economics. 54 (4): 811–840. doi:10.1086/661634. JSTOR   10.1086/661634. S2CID   53587020.
  9. ↑ Cunningham, Scott; Shah, Manisha (December 20, 2017). "Decriminalizing Indoor Prostitution: Implications for Sexual Violence and Public Health". The Review of Economic Studies. 85 (3): 1683–1715. doi:10.1093/restud/rdx065.
  10. ↑ Logan, Trevon D.; Shah, Manisha (2013). "Face Value: Information and Signaling in an Illegal Market" (PDF). Southern Economic Journal. 79 (3): 529–564. doi:10.4284/0038-4038-2011.119. JSTOR   23809683. S2CID   155635470.
  11. ↑ Cunningham, Scott; Shah, Manisha, eds. (2016). The Oxford Handbook of the Economics of Prostitution. Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-991524-8.
  12. 1 2 "Manisha Shah - UCLA Luskin" . Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  13. ↑ Cameron, Lisa; Shah, Manisha (2015). "Risk-Taking Behavior in the Wake of Natural Disasters" (PDF). Journal of Human Resources. 50 (2): 484–515. doi:10.3368/jhr.50.2.484. S2CID   845418.
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