New Directions in Research on Human Trafficking

Ronald Weitzer

The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 2014, vol. 653, issue 1, 6-24

Abstract: This article evaluates four popular claims regarding human trafficking’s international magnitude, trends, and seriousness relative to other illicit global activities. I find that the claims are neither evidence-based nor verifiable. Second, an argument is made for carefully conducted microlevel research on trafficking. Several such studies are described, including the contributions to this volume of The Annals . I argue for microlevel research, which has advantages over grand, macrolevel claims—advantages that are both quantitative (i.e., identifying the magnitude of trafficking within a measurable context) and qualitative (i.e., documenting complexities in lived experiences)—and is better suited to formulating contextually appropriate policy and enforcement responses.

Keywords: sex trafficking; labor trafficking; microlevel research; evidence-based policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:anname:v:653:y:2014:i:1:p:6-24

DOI: 10.1177/0002716214521562

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