Public funding is often justified as a way to insulate artistic choices from the discipline of the box office. But does it actually make theatre programming less conventional? Using new…
Using German panel data and quasi-experimental designs (event studies, twin births, and sibling sex composition), we show that the first child triggers a large and persistent decline in parents’ participation…
Why did Bach work for patrons, Beethoven organize his own concerts, and Brahms rely on publishers? We develop a framework showing when creators rely on patronage, self-organization, or market intermediation…
In Mantua, one can see how one family –the Gonzaga family– turned this city into a marvellous enclave, a shining example of the Renaissance. There, one can observe that very…
Hip-hop was born at block parties in the 1970s Bronx, dismissed as a fad, and ignored by mainstream gatekeepers for years. Would a modern algorithm have done any better? We…
How much do people value a public archive? This study examines community perceptions of the Public Archive of Minas Gerais by measuring citizens’ willingness to support it through taxes or…
Cultural exports are essential for many Global South countries, yet access to major markets remains unequal. Using Chile as a case study, this research combines economics and machine learning to…
Why do similarly talented creators follow such different career paths? We develop an economic framework in which psychological capital shapes the perceived cost of creative effort. Because this stock accumulates…
What is a gift’s true price? By analyzing thousands of paintings given as gifts, I put a number on the social value of art. I uncover a gift discount due…
Cultural goods carry economic and identity value and are therefore subject to strict regulation. Yet their illicit trade is a global phenomenon, historically linked to colonial dynamics and the financing…
Debates about generative AI and creative work often collapse into a single substitution story. If systems can draft, compose, and edit at near zero marginal cost, should artists be expected…
There’s something ironic about street performers, who’ve spent centuries perfecting the psychology of the donation in a hat, now having to master QR codes and digital payment interfaces. Our research,…
The study investigates how organization and governance models shape museums’ behaviour. It show that the Italian Reform of museums, granting organizational and financial autonomy to selected museums, has provided effective…
The article models and analyses the impact of between-country asymmetric globalization in popular cultural activities (music, films, TV series and programmes) on inequality at the top of the income ladder….
What if a woman composer’s visibility hinges not on which work is performed, but on who shares the program with her? Our research shows performing a woman composer alongside a…
From Bologna to Trento, Florence to Naples, Italian cities have long embodied the coexistence of intellectual and cultural life. Universities and cultural institutions often share the same streets, public spaces,…