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on Cultural Economics |
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Issue of 2025–04–28
three papers chosen by Roberto Zanola, Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale |
| By: | Christos Genakos; Mario Pagliero; Lorien Sabatino; Tommaso Valletti |
| Abstract: | Fixed book price (FBP) agreements are a form of resale price maintenance applied to books in various countries. FBP restricts retail price competition with the aim of promoting book production variety. Yet, despite its popularity and adoption in many countries, there is no empirical evidence on its effects. We offer systematic evidence on the impact of FBP on book variety and prices using a detailed new dataset from Italy that includes the universe of books published and bought, before and after the introduction of FBP. Our results indicate that FBP raises prices without significantly affecting the number of new books published in the marketplace. However, it also increases considerably the variety of books actually bought, especially from independent bookstores. We estimate a structural model of demand that accounts for both effects, finding that consumers overall benefited from the regulation. |
| Keywords: | cultural goods, resale price maintenance, book market, ex-post policy evaluation |
| Date: | 2025–03–19 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cep:cepdps:dp2085 |
| By: | Kitsos, Tasos; Nathan, Max; Gutierrez-Posada, Diana |
| Abstract: | We examine links between creative activity and gentrification at the neighborhood level. These dynamics are both complex and important to understand. Artists may help upgrade inexpensive neighborhoods before being displaced, including by higher-paid creative services workers. Alternatively, creative activity may follow patterns of high-income customers and locales. Many city leaders hope creative industries can drive urban growth while worrying about these highly localized impacts. However, outside case studies, these links are poorly understood. Drawing on urban theory and recent creative industries debates, we frame neighborhood upgrading in larger processes of competition for urban space, then identify distinct creativity–gentrification channels for firms, workers, and arts/service activities. We explore impacts on neighborhoods in England and Wales, via rich microdata on firms and workers between 2001 and 2021. We test aggregate links between creative activity and subsequent gentrification, then explore channels across actors, activity types, level of clustering, the urban hierarchy, and property types. Largely, we find very small associations between creative clustering and gentrification in the following decades. Associations are larger for creative workers than firms, though less stable. Links are stronger in London and larger cities; in neighborhoods with denser clusters of creative firms, changes in gentrification scores are three to seven times larger. Overall, arts workers and businesses are most implicated in gentrification, though the former lead and the latter follow neighborhood change. The findings have important implications for urban economic development and urban planning policy. |
| Keywords: | cities; creative industries; gentrification; housing markets |
| JEL: | L80 O18 R30 |
| Date: | 2025–03–31 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:127757 |
| By: | Gilles Paché (CERGAM - Centre d'Études et de Recherche en Gestion d'Aix-Marseille - AMU - Aix Marseille Université - UTLN - Université de Toulon) |
| Abstract: | The purpose of this contribution is to examine how logistics is represented in popular culture, emphasizing its often underestimated and misunderstood role. While logistics is essential to the efficient functioning of businesses and public organizations, it is frequently depicted in a simplified or exaggerated manner in film, music, and literature. These portrayals tend to focus on elements such as speed, efficiency, and adventure, overlooking the complexity and sophistication that define modern supply chains. This fragmented perspective often reduces logistics to a series of dramatic actions, failing to capture its rigorous organization and significant strategic importance. Fortunately, some works in popular culture transcend traditional stereotypes, exploring the environmental consequences of logistics and its connections to consumerist excess. These works reveal the underlying tensions between economic progress and social responsibility, prompting critical reflection. By shedding light on often-overlooked aspects, this research note aims to analyze how popular culture shapes collective perceptions of supply chains, their pervasive presence in daily life, and their indispensable role in the intricate organization of today's world. |
| Keywords: | Cinema, Literature, Logistics, Music, Popular culture, Supply chain |
| Date: | 2025–03–26 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05005932 |