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on Cultural Economics |
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Issue of 2026–04–13
five papers chosen by Roberto Zanola, Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale |
| By: | Smaldino, Paul E. |
| Abstract: | Evolution requires variation, transmission, and selection. Formal theorizing on cultural evolution has largely focused on transmission processes. Though the boundary between transmission and selection can be blurry at times, I focus on selection and introduce a taxonomy of cultural selection processes. These can be sorted into two broad classes: source selection and content selection, each with several subcategories. This framework identifies cultural attraction, often discussed as distinct from selection, as form of transformative selection, offering a more integrative and consilient view of how cultural variation is selectively transmitted. More generally, this taxonomy provides a unifying language for discussing cultural evolution and highlights important but underdeveloped research areas for theoretical investigation. |
| Date: | 2026–04–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:z2m5e_v3 |
| By: | Federico Corredor (Public Finance Research Cluster, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University) |
| Abstract: | The Orange Economy Policy (PEN) was Colombia’s flagship initiative (2018-2022) to position Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) as engines of economic development. Using administrative payroll tax data from 2016-2022, this paper employs difference-in-differences and synthetic control methods to evaluate PEN’s impact on the formal economy. The results show that PEN increased firm creation and employment while reducing sole proprietorships and self-employment, consistent with a reallocation of economic activity toward more structured, firm-based production. These findings suggest that entry and hiring respond relatively quickly to targeted incentives, whereas wages and pension contributions depend on longer-term consolidation. The paper provides causal evidence on the effects of industrial policy in a non-traditional sector, highlighting its potential to promote formalization and reshape the organization of economic activity, while underscoring the importance of sustained implementation and institutional stability to translate short-term successes into long-term economic transformation. |
| Date: | 2026–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ays:ispwps:paper2616 |
| By: | NAGAMUNE, TAKESHI (Niimi University) |
| Abstract: | The traditional economic base model in regional science argues that tradable industries promote regional development by earning income from outside the region and generating multiplier effects within the local economy. Within this theoretical framework, manufacturing has long been considered the primary export base. However, following the influential work of Moretti and others, recent empirical analyses demonstrate that industries fostering innovation and creative activities also exhibit substantial employment multipliers. This suggests that industries and occupations engaged in creative and intellectual activities can serve as new drivers of regional growth. This study focuses on municipalities in Japan, where the tertiarization of industry has advanced. Using industry and occupation classifications from Census data, we define “creative industries and occupations” and estimate their local employment multiplier effects through regression analysis. The empirical results confirm that these creative sectors exert a positive and statistically significant multiplier effect on regional economies, indicating their potential contribution to regional economic development. These findings demonstrate that promoting creative industries can complement traditional manufacturing-oriented strategies. They also provide empirical evidence—based on Japanese municipal-level data—to support the international discourse that knowledge- and creativity-based industries drive regional transformation. |
| Date: | 2026–03–28 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:x2vcy_v1 |
| By: | Hausner, Ryan |
| Abstract: | The rise of music streaming platforms has created modern access to track-specific data, allowing for analysis of song popularity. While existing literature has explored audio features as predictors of popularity, less attention has been given to the combined role of genre and temporal dynamics — this paper addresses that gap. Using a public dataset of 114, 000 tracks from 2000 to 2022, we apply a data science framework combining iterative OLS regression, interaction modeling, random forest, and rolling coefficient analysis to explore the predictive power of Spotify audio characteristics: loudness, danceability, energy, liveness, and valence, as well as genre and release year. Four iterative OLS regression models are developed using an 80/20 train/test split, showing that genre accounts for the largest gain in explained variation, increasing R-squared from 0.042 to 0.434. A genre-year interaction model further improves R-squared to 0.641, with interaction terms jointly significant confirmed by a partial F-test (F(80, 318, 243)=653.72, p<.001), implying that the effect of genre on popularity varies across time — specifically that different genres rise and fall in prevalence at different periods. A random forest model confirms these findings, ranking genre and year significantly higher in feature importance based on impurity reduction. The most accurate model achieves RMSE=9.64 on a popularity scale of 0-100, with remaining variance likely attributable to unmeasured factors such as Spotify playlist algorithms and social media exposure. Rolling coefficient analysis further reveals the instability of audio features over time — energy's contribution to popularity turned strongly negative post-2010, while danceability peaked around 2015-2016 — suggesting that the streaming era has fundamentally reshaped which acoustic properties drive popularity. |
| Date: | 2026–04–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:vba8f_v1 |
| By: | David Moroz (Métis Lab EM Normandie - EM Normandie - École de Management de Normandie = EM Normandie Business School) |
| Abstract: | Les Lego ne sont pas uniquement des jouets : ils sont devenus de véritables objets decollection, portés par un marché de seconde main particulièrement dynamique. Qu'est-ce que la marque Lego nous enseigne sur les marchés de collection et sur toutes ses homologues qui cherchent à susciter chez leurs clients le désir de collectionner ? |
| Keywords: | Vente d'occasion, Plateforme numérique, « Entreprise(s) », Collection, Clients, Produits, Marchés, Jouets, Art, Recyclage, Entreprises numériques |
| Date: | 2025–07–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05551658 |