Artistic creation and intellectual property

We analyze artistic markets considering three key distinctive features that have been overlooked by the standard analysis on intellectual property. These features are the dynamic link between the current number of young artists and future high-quality artistic creation, Rosen's superstars phenomenon, and the role played by promotion costs. Introducing them into an overlapping-generations model brings about a new perspective on the consequences for artistic creation of changes in the copyright term, progress in communication technologies favoring market concentration by stars, and the enlargement of markets. The conventional result that longer copyrights always stimulate artistic creation only holds as a particular case

On the competitive effects of divisionalization

In this paper, we assume that firms can create independent divisions which compete in quantities in a homogeneous good market. Assuming identical firms and constant returns to scale, we prove that the strategic interaction of firms yields Perfect Competition if the number of firms is beyond some critical level. Assuming a fixed cost per firm and an upper bound on the maximum number of divisions, we show that when this upper bound tends to infinity and the fixed cost tends to zero, market equilibrium may yield either Perfect Competition or a Natural Oligopoly.Publicad

Second Best Trade Policies in Cournot Oligopoly

In this paper we study the optimal import policy in an oligopolistic market with a given number of quantity-setting firms. In the absence of fixed costs, we show that if the policy instrument is an import quota, the optimal policy is either free trade or autarky, while if the instrument is a tariff the optimal policy is neither free trade nor autarky. In the case of fixed costs, we show that contrary to the traditional protectionist argument, a restrictive import policy might increase domestic welfare by increasing domestic consumers’ surplus, instead of increasing domestic profits.Publicad

Artistic creation and intellectual property

We analyze artistic markets considering three key distinctive features that have been overlooked by the standard analysis on intellectual property. These features are the dynamic link between the current number of young artists and future high-quality artistic creation, Rosen's superstars phenomenon, and the role played by promotion costs. Introducing them into an overlapping-generations model brings about a new perspective on the consequences for artistic creation of changes in the copyright term, progress in communication technologies favoring market concentration by stars, and the enlargement of markets. The conventional result that longer copyrights always stimulate artistic creation only holds as a particular case.superstars; copyright; innate abilities; talent

Copying, Superstars, and Artistic Creation

We provide a new perspective on the impact of unauthorized copying and copy levies on artistic creation. Our analysis emphasizes three important aspects of artistic markets: the predominance of superstars, the dynamics of talent sorting, and the importance of promotion expenditures. In the short run, piracy reduces superstars’ earnings and market share, and increases the number of niche and young artists. From a dynamic perspective, piracy may help more young artists start their careers, thereby increasing the number of highly talented artists in the long run. The long run impact on artistic creation of levies on copy equipment may crucially depend on whether their yields primarily accrue to superstars or are allocated to help young artists.artistic creation, superstars, private copy, piracy, levies

UNION STRUCTURE AND THE INCENTIVES FOR INNOVATION IN OLIGOPOLY

In this paper we consider the effect of union structure on the adoption of innovation in the context of Cournot duopoly. With a market size large enough we show that the incentive to innovate is higher under a decentralized union structure (with each firm facing its own independent union) than under an industry-wide union. However, for a small market size (or, equivalently, for sufficiently drastic potential innovation) the new technology is more likely to be adopted in the presence of a centralized union. This result goes against the conventional view that unionization harms the incentive to innovate.Oligopoly, Unions, Innovation.

Study of lunar earthshine by photoelectric photometry Final report, 1 Nov. 1965 - 30 Sep. 1967

Design feasibility and performance of semiportable field instrument for monitoring changes in earth albedo via earthshine measurement