Normalizing and abnormalizing prostitution: the productive role of policy implementation practices in shaping governmental problematizations

This paper examines how governmental understandings of prostitution are shaped and transformed through policy implementation. While prostitution policies are often based on implicit governmental problematizations, these are traditionally studied through textual and discursive analysis. Using a case study on the local governance of prostitution, this study explores how implementation practices also actively reshape these problematizations. Drawing on a typology of normalizing and abnormalizing approaches, the paper analyzes two policy programs: (1) sex worker exit programs and (2) the prohibition and policing of prostitution from homes (PFH). Although both originate from abnormalizing perspectives, the study shows how implementation practices introduce and reinforce normalizing ambitions. The findings demonstrate both the adaptability and persistence of governmental problematizations, emphasizing the productive role of implementation in policy development. Ultimately, the paper highlights the resilience of the Dutch “normalizing” approach to prostitution governance.