Handbook of the Economics of Art and Culture

This volume emphasizes the economic aspects of art and culture, a relatively new field that poses inherent problems for economics, with its quantitative concepts and tools. Building bridges across disciplines such as management, art history, art philosophy, sociology, and law, editors Victor Ginsburgh and David Throsby assemble chapters that yield new perspectives on the supply and demand for artistic services, the contribution of the arts sector to the economy, and the roles that public policies play. With its focus on culture rather than the arts, Ginsburgh and Throsby bring new clarity and definition to this rapidly growing area.

Presents coherent summaries of major research in art and culture, a field that is inherently difficult to characterize with finance tools and conceptsOffers a rigorous description that avoids common problems associated with art and culture scholarshipMakes details about the economics of art and culture accessible to scholars in fields outside economics

1. Introduction and overview    Victor A. Ginsburgh and David Throsby

PART I. Value and evaluation in art and culture

2. Creative genius in literature, music and the visual arts    Dean Keith Simonton

3. Contemporary experimental aesthetics: Procedures and findings  Paul J. Locher

4. The economic and cultural value of paintings: Some empirical evidence   David Throsby and Anita Zednik

5. Values of music Jerrold Levinson

6. The economics of cultural awards    James F. English

7. The use of stated preference methods to value cultural heritage    Ken G. Willis

PART II. Demand, consumption and investment

8. Bestsellers and blockbusters: Movies, music and books   W.D. Walls

9. New technologies and cultural consumption   Jason Potts

10. Investment in visual art: Evidence from international transactions  Benjamin R. Mandel

PART III. Innovation and technological change

11. Cultural innovation by cultural organizations    Xavier Castañer

12. Digitization, copyright, and the flow of new music products    Joel Waldfogel

13. The pricing of art and the art of pricing: Pricing styles in the concert industry    Pascal Courty and Mario Pagliero

14. Media ownership: Diversity versus efficiency in a changing technological environment Gillian Doyle

PART IV. Trade, development, and cultural diversity

15. Cultural products in the international trading system    P. Lelio Iapadre

16. Cultural diversity, copyright and international trade   Fiona Macmillan

17. Trade and cultural diversity   Alberto Bisin and Thierry Verdier

18. Cultural diversity, conflict, and economic development   José G. Montalvo and Marta Reynal-Querol

19. Culture, linguistic diversity, and economics   Victor Ginsburgh and Shlomo Weber

PART V. Broader cultural issues

20. National culture as value orientations: Consequences of value differences and cultural distance   Shalom H. Schwartz

21. Religion, culture, and development   Gani Aldashev and Jean-Philippe Platteau

22. Strategic interactions between modern law and custom   Jean-Philippe Platteau and Zaki Wahhaj