The tensions between books and book markets as expressions of culture and books as products in profit-making businesses are analysed and insights from the theory of industrial organisation are given. Governments intervene in the market for books through laws concerning prices of books, grants for authors and publishers, a lower value-added tax, public libraries and education in order to stimulate the diversity of books on offer, increase the density of retail outlets and to promote reading. An overview of the different ways by which countries differ in terms of market structures and government policies is given. Particular attention is paid to retail price maintenance. Due to differences between European countries it is not a good idea to harmonise European book policies. Our analysis suggests that the book market seems quite able to invent solutions to specific problems of the book trade and that, apart from promoting reading, there is little need for government intervention.
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Paper provided by C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers in its series CEPR Discussion Papers with number
4892.
Canoy, Marcel & Ours, Jan C. van & Ploeg, Frederick van der, 2005.
"The economics of books,"
Discussion Paper
13, Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research.
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Find related papers by JEL classification: D40 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure and Pricing - - - General D60 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - General L10 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - General L40 - Industrial Organization - - Antitrust Issues and Policies - - - General Z11 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economics of the Arts and Literature
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