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on Cultural Economics |
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Issue of 2024‒04‒22
five papers chosen by Roberto Zanola, Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale |
| By: | Michalopoulos, S; Rauh, C. |
| Abstract: | Why are certain movies more successful in some markets than others? Are the entertainment products we consume reflective of our core values and beliefs? These questions drive our investigation into the relationship between a society’s oral tradition and the financial success of films. We combine a unique catalog of local tales, myths, and legends around the world with data on international movie screenings and revenues. First, we quantify the similarity between movies’ plots and traditional motifs employing machine learning techniques. Comparing the same movie across different markets, we establish that films that resonate more with local folklore systematically accrue higher revenue and are more likely to be screened. Second, we document analogous patterns within the US. Google Trends data reveal a pronounced interest in markets where ancestral narratives align more closely with a movie’s theme. Third, we delve into the explicit values transmitted by films, concentrating on the depiction of risk and gender roles. Films that promote risk-taking sell more in entrepreneurial societies today, rooted in traditions where characters pursue dangerous tasks successfully. Films portraying women in stereotypical roles continue to find a robust audience in societies with similar gender stereotypes in their folklore and where women today continue being relegated to subordinate positions. These findings underscore the enduring influence of traditional storytelling on entertainment patterns in the 21st century, highlighting a profound connection between movie consumption and deeply ingrained cultural narratives and values. |
| Keywords: | Movies, Folklore, Culture, Values, Entertainment, Text Analysis, Media |
| JEL: | N00 O10 P00 Z10 Z11 |
| Date: | 2024–03–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cam:camjip:2406&r=cul |
| By: | Juan Carlos Gon\c{c}alves-Dosantos; Ricardo Mart\'inez; Joaqu\'in S\'anchez-Soriano |
| Abstract: | Digital streaming platforms, including Twitch, Spotify, Netflix, Disney, and Kindle, have emerged as one of the main sources of entertainment with significant growth potential. Many of these platforms distribute royalties among streamers, artists, producers, or writers based on their impact. In this paper, we measure the relevance of each of these contributors to the overall success of the platform, which is information that can play a key role in revenue allocation. We perform an axiomatic analysis to provide normative foundations for three relevance metrics: the uniform, the proportional, and the subscriber-proportional indicators. The last two indicators implement the so-called pro-rata and user-centric models, which are extensively applied to distribute revenues in the music streaming market. The axioms we propose formalize different principles of fairness, stability, and non-manipulability, and are tailor-made for the streaming context. We complete our analysis with a case study that measures the influence of the 19 most-followed streamers worldwide on the Twitch platform. |
| Date: | 2024–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2403.08421&r=cul |
| By: | Fabrice Murtin |
| Abstract: | This paper first presents a meta-analysis of the causal impact of cultural participation on well-being. The meta-analysis classifies the literature according to the strength of the evidence available and various types of cultural activities. Secondly, this paper uses data from time use surveys from Canada, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States to study individuals’ emotional responses to a series of daily activities. This is then used as a basis for an empirical assessment of the drivers of time allocation across different activities, showing that expectations of future well-being are one of the reasons why individuals decide to engage in cultural activities. Furthermore, the model helps explain why cultural participation, in spite of being one of the most enjoyable human activities, is also the least undertaken. We show that heterogeneity of preferences results in a strong selection effect in available statistics. |
| Keywords: | arts, cultural activities, experienced well-being, time use survey, U-index, well-being |
| JEL: | I31 J22 Z11 Z18 |
| Date: | 2024–03–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:wiseaa:21-en&r=cul |
| By: | van Lent, Max (Leiden University) |
| Abstract: | This paper studies the relationship between the creative abilities of study peers and academic achievement. We conduct a novel large scale field experiment at university, where students are randomized into work groups based on their score on a creativity test prior to university entry. We first show that the creative abilities of peers matter for a student's academic achievement. A one standard deviation higher creativity peer group improves study performance by 8.4 to 10 percentage points. Notably, this effect is driven by the average group creativity, there is no special impact of creative superstars. Further analysis suggests that students exposed to creative peers become more creative, but do not adjust their overall study effort. This is in line with the idea that creative approaches and questions of peers help students to master the study material better. Overall, our study highlights the importance of peer effects of creative students in shaping academic outcomes. |
| Keywords: | peer effects, academic achievement, creativity, field experiment |
| JEL: | I21 I24 J24 |
| Date: | 2024–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp16847&r=cul |
| By: | Paolo Buonanno; Francesco Cinnirella; Elona Harka; Marcello Puca |
| Abstract: | Access to useful knowledge is crucial for fostering modern economic growth. We show, for the first time, that knowledge accumulated and stored in monasteries was useful for innovation. In 1866, anticlerical legislation in Italy led to the suppression of religious orders, the expropriation of their properties, and the transfer of their manuscripts to local public libraries. From a contemporary survey on public libraries, we construct a unique dataset on municipalities which received monastic volumes. This information is then linked to newly digitized annual data on patents issued in Italy between 1863 and 1883. Difference-in-differences estimates show that municipalities exposed to an influx of monastic manuscripts experienced a significant increase in innovation. The effect is driven by the increase in the number of manuscripts in previously existing libraries. We show that the innovation advantage also persisted in the long run and had no impact on human capital. |
| Keywords: | books, manuscripts, knowledge, religion, monastery, libraries, patents |
| JEL: | N33 O30 Z12 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11015&r=cul |