Joel Waldfogel Knihy

How digital technology is upending the traditional creative industries—and why that’s a good thing The digital revolution poses a mortal threat to the major creative industries—music, publishing, television, and the movies. Cheap, easy self-producing is eroding the position of the gatekeepers and guardians of culture. Does this revolution herald the collapse of culture, as some commentators claim? Far from it. In Digital Renaissance, Joel Waldfogel argues that digital technology is enabling a new golden age of popular culture—a digital renaissance. Analyzing decades of production and sales data, as well as bestseller and best-of lists, Waldfogel finds that the new digital model is just as powerful at generating high-quality, successful work as the old industry model, and in many cases more so.

Weihnachten ist das Fest des Schenkens. Jedes Jahr zu Weihnachten werden weltweit Milliarden für Geschenke ausgegeben. Und jeder kennt das Gefühl, ein Geschenk zu bekommen – oder verschenkt zu haben –, das gar keine Freude macht. Stopp, ruft deshalb der renommierte Ökonomieprofessor Joel Waldfogel, hört endlich mit dieser irren Verschwendung auf! Volkswirtschaftler postulieren schon seit langem, dass jeder Euro, den man für sich selbst ausgibt, auch mindestens einen Euro Wert schafft. Bei den Beträgen, die für Geschenke ausgegeben werden, ist das leider anders: In mehreren Studien hat Waldfogel gezeigt, dass die meisten Beschenkten für ein Geschenk, das 100 Euro kostet, lediglich zwischen 70 bis 90 Euro ausgeben würden. Die Differenz: ein volkswirtschaftlicher Verlust, oder – wie die Ökonomen es nennen – ein Deadweight Loss. Weihnachten mag zwar vordergründig die Wirtschaft ankurbeln, ist aber insgesamt eine globale Orgie der Wertvernichtung. Dies zeigt Waldfogel in seinem inspirierenden, witzigen Büchlein, und er liefert jede Menge fundierter Argumente, sich daran nicht länger zu beteiligen. Selbstverständlich gibt Professor Waldfogel auch Anregungen für sinnvolle und wertstiftende Weihnachtsgeschenke, die immer Freude machen.

"The digital revolution poses a mortal threat to the major creative industries--music, publishing, television, and the movies. The ease with which digital files can be copied and distributed has unleashed a wave of piracy with disastrous effects on revenue. Cheap, easy self-publishing is eroding the position of these gatekeepers and guardians of culture. Does this revolution herald the collapse of culture, as some commentators claim? Far from it. In [this book], Joel Waldfogel argues that digital technology is enabling a new golden age of popular culture, a veritable digital renaissance. By reducing the costs of production, distribution, and promotion, digital technology is democratizing access to the cultural marketplace. More books, songs, television shows, and movies are being produced than ever before. Nor does this mean a tidal wave of derivative, poorly produced kitsch; analyzing decades of production and sales data, as well as bestseller and best-of lists, Waldfogel finds that the new digital model is just as successful at producing high-quality, successful work as the old industry model, and in many cases more so. The vaunted gatekeeper role of the creative industries proves to have been largely mythical. The high costs of production have stifled creativity in industries that require ever-bigger blockbusters to cover the losses on ever-more-expensive failures. Are we drowning in a tide of cultural silt, or living in a golden age for culture? The answers in Digital Renaissance may surprise you."--Dust jacket

Lively and informed, "Scroogenomics" illustrates how consumer spending generates vast amounts of economic waste. Economist Waldfogel provides solid explanations to show why it's time to stop the madness and think twice before buying gifts for the holidays.