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Publishing Ideas: The Factors Determining the Number of Book Titles

Author

Listed:
  • Aurelian-Petruş Plopeanu

    (Department of Interdisciplinary Research – Humanities and Social Sciences at the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iaşi, Romania)

  • Bas van Leeuwen

    (International Institute of Social History, Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

  • Peter Foldvari

    (International Institute of Social History, Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

Abstract

The number of books published in a country reflects its economic, social and cultural development. Yet, all too often, the production of books is looked upon solely in economic terms, i.e. as a part of national income, or as a proxy for human capital which, in turn, might explain economic growth. In this paper, we aim to give books their day in court. Using a dataset with book titles per 1,000 inhabitants for a large number of countries since 1950, we find that the number of titles was mainly driven by the level of education and income in the lower quantiles. The reduction of printing after 1990 was, surprisingly, not caused by a rise in other media, such as the internet, but, mostly, by a reduction in the effect of education in the poorer countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Aurelian-Petruş Plopeanu & Bas van Leeuwen & Peter Foldvari, 2018. "Publishing Ideas: The Factors Determining the Number of Book Titles," Acta Oeconomica, Akadémiai Kiadó, Hungary, vol. 68(3), pages 443-466, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:aka:aoecon:v:68:y:2018:i:3:p:443-466
    Note: The research leading to these results received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Programme / ERC-StG 637695 – HinDI, as part of the project “The historical dynamics of industrialization in Northwestern Europe and China ca. 1800–2010: a regional interpretation”.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Galina Besstremyannaya & Sergei Golovan, 2019. "Reconsideration of a simple approach to quantile regression for panel data: a comment on the Canay (2011) fixed effects estimator," Working Papers w0249, Center for Economic and Financial Research (CEFIR).
    2. Galina Besstremyannaya & Sergei Golovan, 2019. "Reconsideration of a simple approach to quantile regression for panel data: a comment on the Canay (2011) fixed effects estimator," Working Papers w0249, New Economic School (NES).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    book titles; culture; income; education; religion; government;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • C31 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Cross-Sectional Models; Spatial Models; Treatment Effect Models; Quantile Regressions; Social Interaction Models
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • N30 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - General, International, or Comparative

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