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on Cultural Economics |
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Issue of 2026–05–11
five papers chosen by Roberto Zanola, Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale |
| By: | Sofia Corradini (Ca’ Foscari University of Venice); Stefania Funari (Ca’ Foscari University of Venice); Silvio Giove (Ca’ Foscari University of Venice) |
| Abstract: | Art evaluation is a longstanding challenge mainly due to its multidimensional nature. In recent decades, the expansion of online art markets and the increasing interest in art as an asset class have intensified the demand for transparent, systematic tools for art assessment. Existing artist rankings are widely used, but often rely on opaque logics and embedded biases. This research introduces a structured framework for building artist rankings through Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA), specifically the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). To assess its feasibility, we conducted a case study using data from an art gallery in Trento, Italy. Our findings indicate that this approach improves transparency and interpretability, while balancing both quantitative indicators and expert judgements. Moreover, the framework is flexible and adaptable to specific objectives and various artistic contexts. |
| Keywords: | Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), Multi-criteria decision making (MCDA), Artist ranking, Art investment |
| JEL: | C61 Z11 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ven:wpaper:2026:15 |
| By: | Giuliano, Paola (University of California, Los Angeles) |
| Abstract: | This chapter reviews the growing literature on the origin, persistence and evolution of cultural norms. I begin by examining the deep historical forces that shape the formation of cultural norms, with particular attention to the role of geography, pre-industrial societal characteristics, political institutions, and historical shocks. I then analyze the mechanisms through which cultural norms persist and evolve, emphasizing the roles of vertical, horizontal, and oblique transmission. Next, I examine the complex interaction between culture and institutions, and discuss the conditions under which cultural norms change. Several conclusions emerge. Cultural norms tend to persist over remarkably long periods, though the speed of change varies significantly across traits. Understanding the origins and persistence of cultural norms has important implications for policy: policies that ignore local cultural context risk failure or unintended consequences, while well-designed interventions can successfully shift norms. Finally, I discuss the growing evidence on cultural mismatches - situations where norms that were adaptive in historical environments become maladaptive in new contexts - and outline directions for future research. |
| Keywords: | cultural norms, cultural evolution, historical persistence |
| JEL: | Z1 P0 |
| Date: | 2026–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18583 |
| By: | Federico Atzori (Sapienza University); Luca Corazzini (University of Milan - Bicocca); Valeria Maggian (Ca’ Foscari University of Venice); Filippo Pavesi (LIUC University); Massimo Scotti (LIUC University) |
| Abstract: | We investigate how generative AI shapes creative performance and human-AI interaction in an open-ended writing task that employs a laboratory experiment in which participants are randomly assigned to either receive access to a large language model (ChatGPT-4.2) or not. Creative performance is measured by the average score assigned by independent evaluators recruited through the Prolific platform, and detailed logs of human-AI interaction are analyzed to measure AI use, prompting intensity, ideation requests, and the textual overlap between AI outputs and participants' final writings. Three main results emerge. First, AI access increases performance, but the gain is entirely driven by active use: participants with access who do not submit queries perform no better than those without AI. Second, the relationship between interaction intensity and performance is concave, peaking at roughly eight queries, consistent with iterative exploration rather than mechanical copying. Third, structural mediation analyses show that ideation requests affect performance primarily indirectly, by increasing downstream incorporation of AI-generated language; the direct effect of requesting an idea from the AI is negligible once execution-stage reliance is accounted for. We further document heterogeneity in AI reliance: cultural capital (proxied by books owned) predicts lower AI use, while prior AI exposure predicts higher use. By contrast, incentive schemes have limited effects on both outcomes and AI-related behaviors. |
| Keywords: | Human-AI Interaction; Creativity; Generative AI; Laboratory Experiment |
| JEL: | C91 D83 J24 O33 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ven:wpaper:2026:16 |
| By: | Vincent Geloso; Patrick Crawford |
| Abstract: | We investigate the relationship between media competitiveness and political mobilization during the Quebec Rebellion of 1837--38. We argue that the rebellion was shaped by newspaper coordination of political action. Drawing on a new spatial dataset of newspaper agents, we test whether local media competitiveness predicts the intensity of rebel mobilization, independent of the partisan alignment of the press. The effect is magnified in areas where seigneurial (i.e., feudal) tenure persisted, suggesting a complementarity between institutionally concentrated grievance and competitive press exposure. Adding newly created human capital controls---school enrollment and literacy---does not attenuate the competition effect. Globally, media competition transformed latent discontent into active participation in the conflict. These results offer insight into the economics of rebellions and uprisings. Nous étudions la relation entre la compétitivité médiatique et la mobilisation politique durant la rébellion du Québec de 1837--38. Nous soutenons que la rébellion a été façonnée par la coordination de l’action politique par les journaux. À partir d’un nouvel ensemble de données spatiales sur les agents de journaux, nous testons si la compétitivité médiatique locale prédit l’intensité de la mobilisation rebelle, indépendamment de l’alignement partisan de la presse. L’effet est amplifié dans les zones où le régime seigneurial (c’est-à-dire féodal) persistait, ce qui suggère une complémentarité entre des griefs institutionnellement concentrés et l’exposition à une presse concurrentielle. L’ajout de nouveaux contrôles de capital humain — taux de scolarisation et alphabétisation — n’atténue pas l’effet de la concurrence. De manière générale, la concurrence médiatique a transformé un mécontentement latent en participation active au conflit. Ces résultats apportent un éclairage sur l’économie des rébellions et des soulèvements. |
| Keywords: | Rebellions, Uprisings, Economic History Media, Newspapers, Competition, Quebec, Canada, Rébellions, Soulèvements, Histoire économique, Médias, Journaux, Concurrence, Québec, Canada |
| JEL: | N41 D74 D83 L82 R12 |
| Date: | 2026–04–29 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cir:cirwor:2026s-07 |
| By: | Arbaaz Karim |
| Abstract: | Aesthetic qualities command measurable premiums in traditional goods markets. However, it remains unclear whether users are willing to pay for such qualities in AI-generated text. This paper estimates the willingness to pay for aesthetic attributes in large language model outputs using an online experiment with N = 117 participants. Participants evaluated responses from four anonymized models across academic, professional, and personal contexts, rated outputs along multiple dimensions, and submitted bids for access using a Becker-DeGroot-Marschak (BDM) mechanism. We find no statistically significant relationship between perceived aesthetic quality and willingness to pay. While participants systematically distinguish between outputs and exhibit consistent preferences over stylistic features, these differences do not translate into higher monetary valuation. Further analysis shows that aesthetic and functional attributes load onto a single latent factor, suggesting that users perceive quality as a unified construct rather than a separable aesthetic dimension. These results imply that, in current large language model (LLM) markets, aesthetic improvements function as baseline expectations rather than sources of price differentiation. |
| Date: | 2026–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2605.05578 |