I woke this morning with a totally unexpected result from an econometric model. Todd Kendall of Clemson University found out that (*.pdf; via via via!):
The arrival of the internet caused a large decline in both the pecuniary and non-pecuniary costs of accessing pornography. Using state-level panel data from 1998-2003, I find that the arrival of the internet was associated with a reduction in rape incidence. However, growth in internet usage had no apparent effect on other crimes. Moreover, when I disaggregate the rape data by offender age, I find that the effect of the internet on rape is concentrated among those for whom the internet-induced fall in the non-pecuniary price of pornography was the largest — men ages 15-19, who typically live with their parents. These results, which suggest that pornography and rape are substitutes, are in contrast with most previous literature. However, earlier population-level studies do not control adequately for many omitted variables, including the age distribution of the population, and most laboratory studies simply do not allow for potential substitutability between pornography and rape.
Hey you. Yeah, you the reader. I know what you’re thinking…
Anyway, blogging professors are way too cool!
15 replies on “[927] Of pornography reduces rape?”
Hello again,
I did not say the government neither ban nor promote porn. I said the government “should not regulate/promote for or against vegetable or porn”.
Alas, our government is not a libertarian government.
Our government restricts porn. When there’s restriction, we will not have the same accessibility other liberal country have to porn.
Finally, I would like to make myself clear. Regardless whether porn reduces or increases rape, the govt should not promote or restrict porn, as long as there’s no market failure.
well, i am sorry if i gave you the impression that porn is equivalent to ferrari, or chocolate on the golden plate. I am more thinking of porn as the means to prevent rape. And i am not sure how communism is dragged into this picture, while i was referring to egalitarian society with Sweden country model in my mind.
and pls read my context carefully: i was referring to the articles on sex (i.e. MM) in this case for not able to get a copy here in Japan. Porn in Japan? Yes abundantly. And this is what I am also comparing the porn availability in Japan and in Malaysia. Demand and supply. Of course, there is a demand in Malaysia, and what I lament is why we are not having the same accessibility/supply to porn magazine/cable TV in Malaysia just like Japan, German, Finland or Netherland. If they did not ban nor promote it, why we are not enjoying the same scenarios like theirs?
michelle,
if the poor can’t afford a ferrari, should the govt provide them with one? If the poor can’t afford a chocolate-coating cake on a golden plate, should the govt provide them with one?
The communist tried to provide everyone with all wants and needs but ended up making everybody worse off on average. There’s a fundamental error in the idea of trying to grant everybody equal wealth. You can’t have your cake and eat it. Communists pretend that there’s no scarcity in this world. That’s why communism is a worldwide failure.
And c’mon. The same people that want free health care and other free welfare services are the ones that are complaining about poor services they get from these welfare-for-all service providers.
This welfare-for-all institutions usually prevents money from acting as a signal in the market. When money stops serving as a signal, other factor will act as a signal. For instance, why do you think a person need to wait in line for months for medical attention at welfare-for-all institution? Compare that scenario with for-profit institutions. The irony is clear but it escapes most people that fight for socialists’ ideals.
About vegetable, the govt job is only to secure the rights of its citizens. Nothing else. Govt should not regulate/promote for or against vegetable or porn. Or anything that matter. If there’s demand for vegetable, then somebody will grow and sell vegetable. If there’s demand for porn, there’s will be supply for porn.
Govt should only interfere in this if there’s a market failure.
And finally, no porn in Japan? Surely you’re joking.
seriously, i love your blog, especially this post. I love the way you think as the libertarian, the out-loud one. And as for this posting, i just have a hypothetical question for me, and you: if we have the governmental power to do something about this scientific report in Malaysia, what would you and me do about it? Ban porn? Inaction? Or to promote? If we know vegetable is good for health, we encourage (not force, that is what libertarian despise most) our kids to eat them, make the vegetable available to them, and they can choose they want it or not. Same scenario for porn?
well hafiz,
I hope there is no similar saying about:
if a person can’t afford medical, too bad
if a person can’t afford schooling, too bad
if a person can’t afford day-care center, too bad
etc etc
after all, we believe that porn is good for society, right?
well, may be 80’s era people have their own way of getting porn, but my concern is not about getting it or not, but rather the quantity. And which is easier to be discreet? Closing the browser or hiding ur magazine under the bed?
haha, what porn and articles on sex have in common? may be their goal? too pity i could not get a copy for myself here in japan… damn.
Haha. MM is on its own. Regardles, I don’t think those articles in MM are porn. They’re articles on sex. It’s just that the society still consider sex as taboo. That’s all.
You don’t need internet to have porn. How do you think those in the 80s got their supply of porn?
I too believe in equality and egalitarian society. But I’m surely not an communist. If a person can’t afford porn, too bad.
hey man, kesian malay mail kena bashed by our ministers just like that. I believe that Malay Mail’s intention is pure and noble: porn/sex-filled article to reduce rape! Can we enlighten the govenrment about this important scientific report here?
hmmm, porn is easily accesible? What about those who does not have internet? If they could not go to porn, let the porn go to them: via RTM, TV3 or NTV, or mainstream newspaper. I believe in equality and egalitarian society!
Nah. I’m kidding.
But porn is relatively easy to get by that you don’t really need to fight for porn on tv to get porn.
Hafiz, r u sure? If u said we had already done that in Malaysia, I am not sure what pornography means to you, or to me. Definitely I am not seeing the same kind of porn magazine in Malaysia as what I saw at Japan kiosk. We don’t even have “Sex and the City” aired at prime time or the late night soft-porn show…
i thought we had already done that? :p
Hafiz:
since pornography reduces rape, let’s put more pornography on TV and magazines and books! Good news for woman! lol
If then, how do you explain the result in the paper? If you have not read the paper, you might want to read it. While previous studies suggest that pornography is the complement of rape, this study suggests porn is a substitute instead. In fact, this is not the first time such result has been published. In 1994, similar study showed similar result of substitutional nature.
While reading that, it is important to keep an open mind and realize that correlation does not imply causation. Else, PAS assertion that rape victim is associated with sexy dresses is as valid as the 80% stuff.
Finally, I am not defending report. All I am saying is, how do you know which one is truer? Thus, my question, is your assertion a fact or an assumption? Both could not be true at the same time, could it?
Its actually a documentated fact that 80% of rapist convicted, were addicted to pornography. Look it up in the internet…
Is that an assumption or a fact? How would you prove it if it s a fact?
Actually its totally opposite, Pornography actually increases sexual crimes.