Journal of Cultural Economics

Journal of Cultural Economics
Title	Journal of Cultural Economics
Discipline	Cultural economics
Abbreviation	J. Cult. Econ.
Publisher	Springer Science+Business Media
Country	Germany
History	1977–present
Frequency	Quarterly
Issn	0885-2545
Eissn	1573-6997

Journal of Cultural Economics is a peer-reviewed academic journal focusing on the study of markets for art, music, film (film), heritage sites, and other cultural goods. The journal publishes empirical studies, theoretical essays, and policy analyses by scholars associated with institutions such as Harvard University, Yale University, University of Chicago, London School of Economics, and University of Cambridge. It serves readers interested in intersections among practitioners from World Bank, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, European Commission, International Monetary Fund, National Endowment for the Arts, and ministries of culture in countries like France, Italy, United Kingdom, United States, and Japan.

History

The journal was established in the late 1970s amid rising interest in cultural policy following events such as the creation of National Endowment for the Arts and debates after the 1973 oil crisis that affected cultural funding. Early contributors included scholars affiliated with University of California, Berkeley, Columbia University, Princeton University, and Stanford University, while influential debates referenced reports from Council of Europe and policy rounds convened by UNESCO. Editorial stewardship has sometimes overlapped with research centers like Centre for Economic Policy Research, Institute for Fiscal Studies, Max Planck Society, and think tanks such as Brookings Institution and RAND Corporation.

Scope and Topics

The journal covers topics spanning cultural markets and institutions, including studies of auctions at houses like Sotheby's and Christie's, analyses of blockbuster dynamics in industries dominated by studios such as Warner Bros., Walt Disney Studios, and Universal Pictures, and research on copyright regimes shaped by statutes like the Berne Convention and policy instruments from European Union. Articles examine labor markets with case studies involving unions and guilds such as Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Musicians, and institutions like Metropolitan Museum of Art, Tate Modern, Guggenheim Museum. Work frequently engages with historical episodes like the Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, and modern cultural events such as the Venice Biennale, Cannes Film Festival, and Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Editorial Structure and Peer Review

The editorial board traditionally includes editors drawn from universities such as New York University, University of Michigan, University of Toronto, Australian National University, and Humboldt University of Berlin. Peer review follows standards common to journals indexed by services like Scopus, Web of Science, and databases maintained by EBSCO Information Services and ProQuest. Manuscripts undergo double-blind review with reviewers recruited from networks including American Economic Association, Royal Economic Society, European Economic Association, and specialist associations like Association for Cultural Economics International.

Abstracting and Indexing

The journal is abstracted and indexed in major services such as Scopus, Social Sciences Citation Index, EBSCOhost, ProQuest, JSTOR, and databases operated by Elsevier, Clarivate, and Springer Nature. It is discoverable through library catalogues of institutions including Library of Congress, British Library, Bibliothèque nationale de France, and university consortia like OCLC.

Impact and Reception

Scholarly impact is measured via citation metrics employed by organizations such as Clarivate Analytics and Scimago Institutions Rankings, with discourse often cited in policy reports from UNESCO and white papers from European Parliament. Reception in media outlets includes coverage in newspapers and magazines like The New York Times, The Guardian, Le Monde, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, and trade publications such as Variety and The Hollywood Reporter when research intersects with high-profile markets or legal disputes involving entities like Google, Apple Inc., Amazon (company), and Facebook.

Notable Articles and Contributions

Influential contributions have addressed auction theory as applied to Sotheby's and Christie's, hedonic pricing studies involving collections at Louvre Museum and British Museum, and empirical work on superstar effects observed in careers linked to Rolling Stones, Madonna (entertainer), The Beatles, and composers with estates tied to Getty (J. Paul Getty Trust). Other notable pieces examined copyright term extension influenced by lobbying from firms such as Disney and legislative episodes like ratification of the Berne Convention and debates in the United States Congress.

Access and Publication Details

The journal is published quarterly by Springer Science+Business Media with options for institutional subscription via aggregators like JSTOR and SpringerLink and individual article purchase. Authors may choose open access under arrangements consistent with policies from funders such as European Research Council, National Endowment for the Humanities, and research councils like UK Research and Innovation.

Category:Academic journals Category:Cultural economics