School of Politics and International Studies

The neo-liberal global economic system and the growth of sex industries: the case of Kenya

The last two decades can be described as the progressive neo-liberalization of the globe. Neo-liberal thought gained strong positions in developed countries like the United States of America and the United Kingdom, because it was seen as a solution for stagnating economies.

Developing countries, such as Kenya, were implementing neo-liberal policies (privatization, liberalization of markets) in the face of crisis in exchange for financial help from international organizations like the IMF and the World Bank.

Interestingly, the last two decades are also marked with the great expansion of sex industries- both in size and variety of services provided. My work will research the relation between neo-liberalism and sex industries by looking not only at the neo-liberal policies and their effect on society, but also at the processes of commodification and the creation of consumer societies.

Kenya will be taken as a case study in the research, therefore Kenyan sex industries will be analysed as a part of global processes shaping a country's position in the international economy, and its participation in global consumer societies.

On the second level, processes inside the state of Kenya will be analysed to show how internationally and nationally determined policies affect the population in terms of poverty exaggeration and gender inequality (with specific attention given to inequalities in formal and informal labour divisions).

Lastly, my research will try to show how sex industries in a specific location are influenced by decisions and power relations on all three levels: city/community wide, nationally and internationally.

The main question that my research is aiming to answer is to what extent neo-liberalism is influencing the growth of sex industries in Kenya.