Demand for culture in Spain and the 2012 VAT rise

This paper analyzes the effects that the 2012 VAT rise in Spain had on household’ demand for cultural goods and services. Household’ demands are modeled as a two-stage QUAIDS. After estimating price and expenditure elasticities, and the pass-through parameter associated with the reform, our results show that the individual welfare loss and the increment in the tax bill increase, but less than proportionately, with income. Consequently, the reform can be considered as regressive. Relating the effects of the VAT reform to households’ incomes also implies a low quantitative effect, because of the low proportion of total household expenditure that cultural expenditure represents. From a social perspective, the size of the induced welfare loss would positively depend on society’s inequality aversion. Regardless of the latter, it cannot be concluded whether the reform would have increased or reduced inequality in the distribution of cultural spending. Our results prove qualitatively robust to alternative values of the pass-through parameter.     

Ownership,organization structure and public service provision: the case of museums

This article provides an empirical investigation of the effects of the ownership and organizational structure on the performance of cultural institutions. More specifically, we consider how museums are effective in their function of disseminating culture to audiences and contributing to the local development. By exploiting a unique data set based on the 2011 census of Italian museums, we develop performance indices of accessibility, visitors’ experience, web visibility and promotion of the local cultural context. Using count data models, we regress such measures on the type of organization. We distinguish between governmental museums, public museums whose administration is either outsourced or has financial autonomy and private museums. We control for the most salient characteristics of a museum, competition pressure and some proxies of potential audience. Our evidence shows that private museums, public museums with financial autonomy and outsourced museums outperform public museums run as sub-units of culture departments. This paper contributes to the cultural economics and public policy and administration literature by adding insights into the effect of outsourcing and administrative decentralization in the public cultural sector.     

To preserve or enhance precious memories: a segmented market analysis of the history museum in Singapore

This study examines the value placed on museums by patrons and non-patrons and investigates the factors that affect this valuation with a view to boost visitorship. The total economic value of Singapore’s History Museum is at least US$57 million, and this is high relative to other countries, a fact which can be used to justify increased government funding towards museums as cultural capital. Females and high income people are the target groups for increased visitation, while among the non-patrons, the ethnic majority is another potential clientele. Somewhat surprising is the finding that neither patrons nor non-patrons see the museum as having significant tourist value, and contrary to prospect theory, there is a preference for enhancing the museum’s services over keeping the museum. These findings provide some direction for the management of the museum to improve its visitor appeal.     

Measuring allocative efficiency in Cultural Economics: the case of “Fundación Princesa de Asturias” (The Princess of Asturias Foundation)

The literature on Cultural Economics provides us with some examples for the measurement of technical efficiency. However, there are few case studies dedicated to the analysis of allocative efficiency. The aim of this paper is to fill this gap by incorporating a methodology that analyses both technical and allocative efficiency. We use the Shephard’s distance function, particularly suitable when affronted with non-profit-making firms or institutions that are not interested in cost minimization. As an empirical application, we analyse the efficiency of Fundación Princesa de Asturias (PAF), a Spanish non-governmental organization devoted to promoting the cultural, scientific and humanistic values of universal heritage, the period of study being 1988–2012. Our findings suggest that PAF could have used 7% less inputs to achieve the same level of output. On the other hand, we have found allocative inefficiency. Concretely, the input for other expenditures appears to have been over-utilized in relation to both the inputs for labour and current assets, with labour in turn being over-utilized in relation to current assets. Moreover, our results indicate that both technical and allocative efficiency have clearly improved during the period analysed. In summary, our empirical application shows how distance function methodology can be successfully implemented to measure allocative efficiency in cultural firms and institutions.     

Effects of the “Gangnam Style Syndrome” on the South Korean stock market

This study attempts to answer two questions. First, can a single cultural event impact the stock prices of a wide range of companies and sectors? Second, was the positive stock market response in the information technology (IT) sector as well as performing arts sector significant? To answer these questions, we examine whether a hit pop single, “Gangnam Style” by Park Jae-Sang in 2012, affected related sectors of the Korean stock market and whether market reactions went beyond the stock price of the singer’s agency to affect those of other firms. We use an event study approach. The results show two notable empirical findings. First, although the findings indicating abnormal returns and cumulative abnormal returns appear mixed, the overall results imply that the unprecedented worldwide hit single by the South Korean singer positively affected the Recreation & Culture and Digital Content sectors. In other words, the market interpreted the event as good news, with shareholders expecting positive effects on the related sectors. Second, a positive stock market response was observed in the IT sector as well.     

The authenticity of the museum experience in the digital age: the case of the Louvre

The technological shift of museums is extensively documented, even if research on the impact of technologies on cultural practices and social patterns at large is still lacking. As part of a research programme conducted by the Louvre and HEC Paris, the article proposes a conceptual analysis of ‘real’ (visiting the museum) and ‘virtual’ (visiting its website) experiences of museums. It contributes to the understanding of whether the two experiences are substitutes or complements using a newly created measurement scale. In addition, the article also aims at enriching the contemporary discussion on the artworks’ aura and the authenticity of the cultural experience in the digital age.     

A Policy Entrepreneur in the Information Society: Shaping the Interdisciplinarity of Brain Research in Korea

This paper aims to show the historical contingency of policy entrepreneurship in science by analyzing the case of brain research in South Korea during the last decade of the 20th century. This decade saw an increasing emphasis placed upon the development of information technology and its use for societal changes. The rise of the “Information Society” in Korea was an important context for shaping the field of brain research as an amalgam of multiple disciplines which led to the passage of the Brain Research Promotion Act; the first law in the world enacted to promote brain research. This paper, through focusing on in what context someone takes up an entrepreneurial role, shows how the concept of interdisciplinarity has been shaped by, and how it has influenced the development of brain research and its related policy measures in Korea. It ultimately reveals the contingent and transient aspect of a policy entrepreneur and his effect on building a new field.     

ITN网球技术水平测试的实用研究

使用ITN测试方法对北京体育大学105名网球专项学生进行了技术水平的测试,并与其他测试的结果进行比对.结果表明:该方法能够全面客观地定位被试者的实际水平,准确性很高;其相对量化的评价能够反映出被试者的优势与不足.可考虑引入到网球专业招生考试、社会体育指导员考核等多个领域,使其评价机制更加客观.     

补充海洋生物活性肽对大鼠高强度离心运动后骨骼肌结蛋白表达的影响

目的:通过观察补充海洋肽对骨骼肌细胞骨架蛋白desmin表达的影响,研究补充海洋肽影响运动性骨骼肌损伤修复的机制.方法:72只雄性SD大鼠随机分为安静对照组、运动对照组、运动+大豆蛋白对照组和运动+海洋肽实验组,进行6周每周5天的-5°下坡间歇跑训练,速度从20.0 m/min增加到35.0 m/min,每次10～20 min.6周后,大鼠在1次高强度离心运动后即刻、24 h和48 h处死,取股中肌进行免疫印迹法检测desmin表达量的变化,并取血测血清CK总活性.结果:补充海洋肽和大豆蛋白均可增加desmin蛋白表达量,而且海洋肽增加运动后desmin蛋白表达的量明显优于大豆蛋白.补充海洋肽和大豆蛋白均明显减低CK蛋白从骨骼肌细胞中逸漏出,降低血清CK水平.而且,海洋肽对运动后血清CK的恢复明显早于大豆蛋白.结论:补充海洋肽可维护大鼠高强度离心运动后骨骼肌微结构的完整,促进运动后骨骼肌微结构损伤的修复.     

消费社会背景下中国武术发展的文化悖论

文章以消费社会为背景,对中国武术发展进行研究。结果表明:中国武术正快速融入消费社会之中,并取得了一定的成效。然而,要符合消费社会的消费逻辑,中国武术产品的使用价值和消费价值之间产生;中国武术产品的丰盛与产业发展的虚假繁荣之间产生文化悖论。消费社会导致中国武术人文精神缺失、文化身份迷失的危机,并影响了中国武术的核心价值、文化精神及文化形象。中国武术的发展必须解决其产业化过程中的文化悖论。