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on Cultural Economics |
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Issue of 2026–03–23
ten papers chosen by Roberto Zanola, Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale |
| By: | Becker, Sascha O. (University of Oxford); Panin, Amma (Université catholique de Louvain, LIDAM/CORE, Belgium); Pfaff, Steven; Rubin, Jared |
| Abstract: | This chapter examines the role of religion in economic development, both historically and today. Religion's influence varies globally, with high religiosity in countries like Pakistan and low rates in China. Despite declines in some Western countries, religion remains influential worldwide, with projected growth in Muslim populations due to higher fertility rates. Religion continues to shape societal norms and institutions, such as education and politics, even after its direct influence fades. The chapter explores how religious institutions and norms have impacted economic outcomes, focusing on both persistence and decline. It also examines cultural transmission, institutional entrenchment, networks, and religious competition as mechanisms sustaining religion's influence. We explore the relationship between religion and secularization, showing that economic development does not always reduce religiosity. Lastly, the chapter highlights gaps in the literature and suggests future research areas on the evolving role of religion in economic development. |
| Keywords: | Religion ; Economic Development ; Religiosity ; Cultural Transmission ; Secularization ; Historical Persistence ; Religious Competition ; Networks ; Social Norms |
| JEL: | D85 I25 J10 N30 O33 O43 P48 Z10 Z12 |
| Date: | 2025–03–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cor:louvco:2025006 |
| By: | Anouck Butraud-Assathian (CES - Centre d'économie de la Sorbonne - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, PcEn - Chaire Pluralisme culturel et Ethique du numérique (Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne), UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne); Cécile Méadel (CARISM - Centre d'Analyse et de Recherche Interdisciplinaires sur les Médias - Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas); Jaércio DA SILVA (CARISM - Centre d'Analyse et de Recherche Interdisciplinaires sur les Médias - Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas) |
| Abstract: | This chapter examines how professionals in the audiovisual sector frame generative artificial intelligence (AI) on LinkedIn. In a context where debates surrounding AI oscillate between enthusiasm and anxiety, this chapter examines how these tools are embedded in professional identities, work routines, and imaginaries within the cultural and creative industries. The analysis draws on a French-language corpus of 11, 526 posts, 9, 235 comments, and 8, 298 user biographies collected on LinkedIn between October 2022 and May 2025. Findings indicate that discourse on generative AI in the audiovisual field is predominantly positive, frequently framing these tools as drivers of innovation, creativity, and professional opportunity. Rather than focusing on specialised or sector-specific applications, users overwhelmingly reference widely accessible systems such as ChatGPT, which functions as a marker of technological literacy and adaptability. The results also highlight the emergence of hybrid professional identities and the rise of informal learning formats, positioning certain users as guides, educators, or facilitators in the adoption of AI. Meanwhile, AI is presented as a gateway to domains that traditionally required technical expertise, lowering entry barriers and circulating narratives of empowerment and productivity. Taken together, these findings suggest that LinkedIn operates less as a space for reporting concrete uses of generative AI in audiovisual production than as a stage for signalling expertise, demonstrating adaptability, and cultivating professional visibility. Generative AI thus becomes a resource for self-presentation and strategic positioning, contributing to the early dynamics of its appropriation in the audiovisual sector. |
| Keywords: | Digital, Audiovisual, CCIs, Cultural and Creative Industries, LinkedIn, AI, Artificial Intelligence, Audiovisuel, Numérique, Intelligence artificielle, ICC, Industries culturelles et créatives, IA |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:cesptp:hal-05536578 |
| By: | J. Jason Lu Jin A; X. Xiaopeng Lai; M. Dong Meitong; L. Wang (Audencia Business School); Y. Yaqin Zheng |
| Abstract: | While online transactions through live streaming are rising rapidly for international exchanges, we understand little about why foreign firms vary in their use of live streaming on the digital platform when operating in host markets. Drawing on institutional theory, our study investigates how institutional distance affects foreign firms' live streaming use as a digital operation strategy in the host market. Using a unique longitudinal dataset consisting of 3, 158 product-month observations from a Chinese digital platform, our findings reveal that while legal distance has a positive effect on live streaming use, digital distance has a negative impact. Moreover, firm age and platform experience significantly moderate the roles of institutional distance. These findings provide novel insights into platform-based operation strategies in international markets. |
| Keywords: | Platform experience, Digital distance, Legal distance, Live streaming use, Institutional distance |
| Date: | 2026–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05460935 |
| By: | Hugh-Jones, Samuel (University of Manchester); Bone, Jessica Katherine (University College London); Wilding, Anna; Sutton, Matt; Humphrey, Neil; Munford, Luke |
| Abstract: | Background: There is growing evidence of links between arts and creative activities and mental health, particularly in adolescents. However, methodologically stronger evidence is needed. Using causal inference methods, this study examined whether day-to-day arts engagement can improve adolescent mental health and wellbeing. Methods: The sample included N=13, 058 (42.6% girls, 12-15y) individuals from the #BeeWell study, a longitudinal study of adolescents in Greater Manchester (UK). Inverse probability weighting with regression adjustment was used to assess the effect of engagement with six different arts and creative activities on subsequent internalising symptoms and life satisfaction, conditioning on baseline outcomes and covariates. Results: Engaging in any arts or creative activity several times or more a year led to increased life satisfaction. Going to the cinema or theatre (but not other activities) resulted in decreased subsequent internalising symptoms. Effects on both outcomes did not differ by the number of different activities young people engaged in or the frequency of engagement. No significant differences were observed across socio-economic status, gender, or ethnicity. Conclusions: Regular engagement with arts and creative activities can improve adolescent life satisfaction. Specific activities can reduce internalising symptoms. The absence of moderation effects across subgroups indicates these activities could confer universal benefit. Increasing opportunities to engage in arts and creative activities is an effective way to improve adolescent mental health and wellbeing without widening inequalities. |
| Date: | 2026–03–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:4vxhs_v1 |
| By: | Taylor Jaworski; Erik O. Kimbrough |
| Abstract: | This paper recovers the cultural geography of the United States from first-name patterns in census data spanning 1850 to 1930. Using unsupervised clustering of county-level name distributions, we identify spatially coherent cultural regions that align with historically recognized settlement patterns and remain stable across eight decades of economic and institutional change. The deepest division separates North from South, but finer groupings (New England, the Mid-Atlantic, Appalachia, the Deep South) emerge as nested subregions. Formal tests confirm that the recovered clusters are spatially contiguous, temporally persistent, and robust to resampling. The findings bear on whether liberal institutions require cultural homogeneity, whether cultural pluralism is a source of resilience or fragility, and how the imprint of early settlement shapes the practice of self-governance. |
| JEL: | N9 R10 |
| Date: | 2026–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34958 |
| By: | Mutsamwira, Sam |
| Abstract: | This article examines the ideas/expression dichotomy as applied to artistic works in New Zealand copyright law. Under New Zealand copyright law, the principle that expression is protected while ideas are not is fundamental. However, applying this dichotomy to artistic works remains difficult in practice. Given the traditional “sweat of the brow” test for originality, this article examines how courts have attempted to distinguish between unprotectable ideas and protectable expression, particularly in cases involving collocations, functional constraints, and low originality works. The discussion considers the role of skill and labour in assessing originality, the arrangement of unoriginal features in collocations, the influence of external factors, materiality, and the treatment of words and figures in design drawings. By reviewing key New Zealand authorities, the article concludes that demarcating the boundary between idea and expression remains challenging. Keywords: Copyright law, ideas/expression dichotomy, originality, New Zealand copyright, artistic works, substantiality, infringement, design, industrial design |
| Date: | 2026–03–13 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:lawarc:dwym7_v1 |
| By: | da Silva, Lucas Paulo (Trinity College Dublin) |
| Abstract: | A well-established literature finds that media outlets align their ideological positions with those of their audiences. However, can outlets do this in a two-dimensional (economic/cultural) ideological landscape? This is among the most common and parsimonious models of ideology within political science. I predict that outlets under-represent cross-pressured voters (CPVs) -- people with leftist economic positions and conservative cultural positions ("left-conservatives") or the reverse ("right-progressives"). Despite large CPV populations, I argue that outlets are constrained from representing them by the structures of media actors and party systems. I construct a novel corpus of one million articles. These are quasi-randomly selected from the universe of Anglophone internet media articles. Using large language models and a new ideological classification technique, this study measures the separate economic and cultural positions of 324 prominent media outlets from 26 countries. This data provides interesting descriptive results about the two-dimensional positions of these outlets overall and across time. Moreover, the study then tests (1) the relationship between the economic and cultural dimensions, (2) how this structure changes over time, and (3) its association with audience ideological structure. The results indicate that many media outlets are unrepresentative and unresponsive to audiences in a two-dimensional ideological landscape. This has important implications for our understanding of media ideology in general and media effects among CPVs. |
| Date: | 2026–03–18 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:mzxab_v1 |
| By: | Kraußer, Vanessa; Perst, Florian; Schubart, Constantin; Veichtlbauer, Maximilian |
| Abstract: | Artificial intelligence (AI) has long since arrived in the world of work, including in the field of media design. This work focusses on AI-generated images and examines copyright challenges in this context. It becomes clear that not only the generated images should be considered, but that AI training data and user input also play a significant role. The aim of the work is to provide an overview of the laws and regulations currently in force in Germany. The empirical study carried out confirms that most employees in the field of media design use AI image generators, but at the same time also reveals uncertainties regarding the legal situation in this subject area. Recom- mendations for dealing with AI-generated images are therefore formulated on the basis of the analysis of applicable laws and other regulations. In addition, various approaches to solving the copyright problems associated with the use of AI-generated works are discussed. To summarise, it can be said that the current copyright law can only be applied to modern technologies to a limited extent. |
| Keywords: | Künstliche Intelligenz, Generative künstliche Intelligenz, Urheberrecht, KI-Bildgenerator, Prompt als Nutzereingabe, Trainingsdaten |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:iudpda:338117 |
| By: | Becker, Sascha O.; Bentzen, Jeanet Sinding; Kok, Chun Chee (Université catholique de Louvain, LIDAM/CORE, Belgium) |
| Abstract: | This paper provides a survey of the literature on gender differences in religiosity and the influence of religion on gender-related economic and social outcomes. Part I examines why women tend to be more religious than men, discussing central explanations. Part II explores how religion impacts various gender-related outcomes, such as gender norms and attitudes, education, labor market participation, fertility, health, legal institutions and reforms, and discrimination. Within each domain, we distinguish between effects driven by individual religiosity (intensity of religious practice or belief) and those driven by their religious denomination. We synthesize findings from numerous studies, highlighting data sources, measures of religion and gender outcomes, and empirical strategies. We focus on studies with credible causal identification—such as natural experiments, instrumental variable approaches, and policy changes—to uncover the impact of religion on outcomes. Correlational studies are also reviewed to provide context. Across studies, the evidence suggests that religious teachings and participation often reinforce traditional gender roles, affecting women’s education, labor force participation, and fertility choices, although there are important nuances and exceptions. We also document instances where secular reforms or religious movements have altered these outcomes. The survey concludes by identifying gaps in the literature and suggesting directions for future research. An important take-away from our review is that rigorous empirical studies are scarce, leaving room for novel causal studies in this field. |
| Date: | 2025–11–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cor:louvco:2025020 |
| By: | Stanislas Kihm (ISTEC - Institut supérieur des Sciences, Techniques et Economie Commerciales - ISTEC, IDHES - Institutions et Dynamiques Historiques de l'Économie et de la Société - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - UP8 - Université Paris 8 - UPN - Université Paris Nanterre - UEVE - Université d'Évry-Val-d'Essonne - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - ENS Paris Saclay - Ecole Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay) |
| Abstract: | In the United States, political violence circulates as a floating signifier invoked to harden policing, to delegitimize protest, and to sustain an anxious public dramaturgy.Many film critics have framed One Battle After Another, released worldwide in September 2025, as a political film that meets the moment head-on. Yet its most generative move lies elsewhere. Freely adapting Thomas Pynchon's Vineland (1990), the film treats revolution less as a program than as memory-work: clandestinity replayed like a beloved record, in the shelter of safe houses and code words, while the present stubbornly mutates its surveillance, its rhetorics, and its enemies. Read through an organizational lens, the film becomes less a manifesto than an inquiry into how underground collectives persist in the rear-view mirror: how secrecy is maintained, how partial organizations cohere, and how violence is organized, sensed, and survived. If the film feels timely, it is also because it insists on being out of sync: its politics is filtered through the afterlives of older struggles. The underground it depicts does not merely hide from the present; it shelters inside a past that keeps replaying itself.One Battle After Another compresses, at first, the story of a militant couple inside a farleft faction called the "French 75". Pat Calhoun (an anagrammatic wink to the director's initials "PTA") is played by Leonardo DiCaprio; his lover and comrade, Perfidia Beverly Hills, is played by Teyana Taylor. |
| Keywords: | Discourse theory, Theoretical Perspectives Ethics, Theoretical Perspectives Organizational control, Partial organization, Power domination, Ethics, Power, Resistance |
| Date: | 2026–02–25 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05532731 |