|
on Cultural Economics |
|
Issue of 2014‒01‒24
three papers chosen by Roberto Zanola Universita' del Piemonte Orientale Amedeo Avogadro |
| By: | Brahim Boualam |
| Abstract: | Does a better cultural milieu make a city more livable for residents and improve its business environment for firms? I address this question by computing a measure of cultural specialization based on detailed occupational data for 346 U.S. metropolitan areas. I then estimate hedonic wage and rent equations and ask if differences in the cultural environment across cities capitalize into housing price and wage differentials. Simple correlations replicate standard results from the literature: cities that are more specialized in cultural and artistic occupations enjoy higher factor prices. Using time-series data, controlling for observable and unobservable city characteristics, and implementing alternative specifications weaken the magnitude of this effect. Estimations correcting for reverse causality and endogeneity ultimately show that the impact of culture on city attractiveness is negligible at best. Even though the arts and culture might be appealing to some people and firms, such determinants are not strong enough to affect factor prices at the metropolitan level. |
| Keywords: | Urban economics, location choice, local amenities, culture. |
| Date: | 2013–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:gen:geneem:13121&r=cul |
| By: | HERREMANS, Dorien; MARTENS, David; SÖRENSEN, Kenneth |
| Abstract: | In this paper a number of musical features are extracted from a large music database, which are consequently used to build three composer classification models. The first two models, an if-then ruleset and a decision tree, result in an understanding of the style differences between Bach, Haydn and Beethoven. The third model, a logistic regression model, gives the probability that a piece is composed by a certain composer. This model is integrated in the objective function of a previously developed variable neighborhood search algorithm that can generate counterpoint. The result is a system that can generate an endless stream of counterpoint music with composer-specific characteristics that sounds pleasing to the ear. This system is implemented as an Android app called FuX that can be installed on any Android phone or tablet. |
| Keywords: | Variable Neighborhood Search (VNS), Metaheuristics, Classification, Computer Aided Composition, Music Information Retrieval (MIR) |
| JEL: | C6 C8 |
| Date: | 2014–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ant:wpaper:2014001&r=cul |
| By: | Hans van Ophem (University of Amsterdam); Jeroen Ruijg (University of Amsterdam) |
| Abstract: | The analysis of football transfers is hampered by selectivity bias. In most empirical estimations, simple regression is used and selectivity is ignored. In this paper we propose an estimation method that corrects for sample selectivity and allows the use of more observations in a simple manner. The ordered probit estimates point in a similar direction as the estimates from commonly applied estimation techniques but the significance is higher. |
| Date: | 2014–01–14 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ame:wpaper:1401&r=cul |