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on Cultural Economics |
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Issue of 2025–03–10
four papers chosen by Roberto Zanola, Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale |
| By: | Casimiro, June Ann J.; Romualdo, Karenina B.; Santiago, Via Shane R. |
| Abstract: | This study investigates the innovation strategies of cultural micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Northern and Central Luzon, Philippines, operating within the domain of traditional cultural expressions, particularly traditional crafts and culinary crafts. These enterprises play a dual role in preserving cultural heritage and contributing to local economic development. As cultural and creative industries (CCIs) gain increasing recognition for their economic and social contributions, cultural MSMEs in developing regions face unique challenges. Through a qualitative case study approach involving nine MSMEs, the research explores innovations in products, processes, and business models. It also examines the motivations driving these innovations, barriers encountered, and opportunities for enhancing sustainability and competitiveness. Findings reveal that cultural entrepreneurs innovate to ensure economic viability, preserve cultural heritage, empower communities, and leave a lasting legacy. Their strategies respond to evolving consumer preferences, seek to expand market reach, and aim to modernize operations while maintaining the authenticity of their cultural products. However, challenges such as succession planning, diminishing artisanal skills, and limited access to financial resources constrain their capacity to scale, adopt new technologies, and remain competitive in both local and global markets. The study identifies key innovation strategies, including product and process diversification, technology integration, strategic marketing, and stakeholder collaboration. Many MSMEs adopt hybrid production models, blending traditional craftsmanship with mechanized processes to enhance efficiency without undermining cultural value. Partnerships with government agencies, universities, and private entities emerge as critical to fostering innovation ecosystems that support cultural entrepreneurship. Despite these efforts, significant barriers persist. The declining interest of younger generations in traditional crafts threatens the continuity of artisanal skills, compounded by the absence of formal training programs. Limited financial resources further hinder growth and modernization, restricting the ability of MSMEs to compete effectively. To address these challenges, the study advocates for a collaborative approach involving policymakers, industry stakeholders, and consumers to create an enabling environment for innovation and sustainability. Such a framework must include targeted support for skills development, financial accessibility, and market expansion. This research emphasizes the essential role of cultural MSMEs within the traditional cultural expressions domain and their contribution to the broader CCI ecosystem. It offers actionable insights for addressing structural barriers and leveraging opportunities to enhance the resilience and competitiveness of these enterprises. By empowering cultural MSMEs, the Philippines can preserve its rich cultural heritage while fostering economic growth and social development. Comments on this paper are welcome within 60 days from the date of posting. Email publications@pids.gov.ph. |
| Keywords: | entrepreneurship;MSMEs;culture;creative industries;innovation;strategy;cultural entrepreneurship;cultural and creative industries;CCI |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:phd:dpaper:dp_2024-48 |
| By: | Skarpelis, Anna Katharina Mosha (Harvard University) |
| Abstract: | Racial purity and supremacy were core to Nazi Germany’s claims to European dominion. At the same time, their very own “racial scientific” research showed that most Germans were “mixed-race.” Given the dissonance between phenotypical aspirations to a Nordic ideal and the reality of a largely non-blond German population, how did the National Socialist regime maintain legitimacy to rule? Anthropologists, bureaucrats and artists resolved this racial misalignment through horror vacui racialization, an excessive social classification that manifested as a racializing turn inwards aimed at Christian Germans. I theorize the role of culture and art in stabilizing race-based rule in authoritarian and colonial contexts through racial repair that realigns desired and actual racial self-understandings. The article shows how an ostensibly biologically essentialist regime strategically used racial relativism in science, politics and popular culture. I outline the sociological implications for the sociologies of culture; race and ethnicity; theories of the state and of empire and science and technology studies. |
| Date: | 2023–11–13 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:8vk9r_v1 |
| By: | Xia, Ziqian; Ye, Jinquan; Debnath, Ramit |
| Abstract: | In this study, we conduct a direct replication of Lorenz-Spreen et al. (2023)'s systematic review on digital media and democracy to verify and enhance the robustness of their findings. We successfully reproduce the main claims of the original paper, uncovering a few minor coding errors that do not affect the study's primary results. Our replication updates the dataset with recent publications up to March 23, 2024. After screening 2, 567 papers, we included 110 that met the original study's criteria. We then replicated the results from original paper and employed topic modeling and word frequency analysis to identify key themes and trends. This replication confirms the original findings and provides an updated perspective on the relationship between digital media and democracy. |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:i4rdps:206 |
| By: | Boehm, Johannes; Chaney, Thomas |
| Abstract: | What caused the end of antiquity, the shift of economic activity away from the Mediterranean towards northern Europe? We assemble a large database of coin flows between the 4th and 10th century and use it to document the shifting patterns of exchange during this time period. We build a dynamic model of trade and money where coins gradually diffuse along trade routes. We estimate the parameters of this model and recover time-varying bi-lateral trade flows and real consumption from data on the spatial and temporal distribution of coins. Our estimates suggest that technical progress, increased minting, and to a lesser degree the fall in trade flows over the newly formed border between Islam and Christianity contributed to the relative growth of Muslim Spain and the Frankish lands of northern Europe and the decline of the Roman-Byzantine world. Our estimates are consistent with the increased urbanization of western and northern Europe relative to the eastern Mediterranean from the 8th to the 10th century. |
| Keywords: | gravity models; international trade; market access; diffusion |
| JEL: | F1 O1 N73 |
| Date: | 2024–09–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:126785 |