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Agglomeration Economies in Classical Music

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  • Karol J. Borowiecki

    (Department of Business and Economics, University of Southern Denmark)

Abstract

This study investigates agglomeration effects for classical music production in a wide range of cities for a global sample of composers born between 1750 and 1899. Theory suggests a trade-off between agglomeration economies (peer effects) and diseconomies (peer crowding). I test this hypothesis using historical data on composers and employ a unique instrumental variable – a measure of birth centrality, calculated as the average distance between a composer’s birthplace and the birthplace of his peers. I find a strong causal impact of peer group size on the number of important compositions written in a given year. Consistent with theory, the productivity gain eventually decreases and is characterized by an inverted U-shaped relationship. These results are robust to a large series of tests, including checks for quality of peers, city characteristics, various measures of composers’ productivity, and across different estimations in which also time-varying birth centrality measures are used as instrumental variables.

Suggested Citation

  • Karol J. Borowiecki, 2013. "Agglomeration Economies in Classical Music," Working Papers 0047, European Historical Economics Society (EHES).
    • Handle: RePEc:hes:wpaper:0047
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    18. Karol Jan Borowiecki, 2012. "Are composers different? Historical evidence on conflict-induced migration (1816-1997)," European Review of Economic History, European Historical Economics Society, vol. 16(3), pages 270-291, August.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Borowiecki, Karol Jan & Dahl, Christian Møller, 2021. "What makes an artist? The evolution and clustering of creative activity in the US since 1850," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    3. Karol Jan Borowiecki, 2022. "Good Reverberations? Teacher Influence in Music Composition since 1450," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 130(4), pages 991-1090.
    4. Borowiecki, Karol Jan & Graddy, Kathryn, 2021. "Immigrant artists: Enrichment or displacement?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 191(C), pages 785-797.
    5. Markus Lampe & Paul Sharp, 2015. "Just add milk: a productivity analysis of the revolutionary changes in nineteenth-century Danish dairying," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 68(4), pages 1132-1153, November.
    6. Irene Alfarone & Ugo Merlone, 2024. "Should I stay or should I go: A dynamical model of musicians’ agglomeration and migration," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 58(1), pages 97-116, February.
    7. Karol Jan Borowiecki & Caterina Adelaide Mauri, 2024. "Originality, influence, and success: a model of creative style," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 48(2), pages 221-258, June.
    8. Maria Rosaria Alfano & Anna Laura Baraldi & Claudia Cantabene, 2023. "Eppur si muove: an evaluation of museum policy reform in Italy," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 47(1), pages 97-131, March.
    9. Borowiecki, Karol Jan & Kavetsos, Georgios, 2015. "In fatal pursuit of immortal fame: Peer competition and early mortality of music composers," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 30-42.
    10. Lukas Kuld & Sara Mitchell & Christiane Hellmanzik, 2021. "Manhattan Transfer: Productivity effects of agglomeration in American authorship," Trinity Economics Papers tep0821, Trinity College Dublin, Department of Economics.
    11. Arnab Bhattacharjee & Ornella Maietta & Fernanda Mazzotta, 2023. "Spatial agglomeration, innovation and firm survival for Italian manufacturing firms," Spatial Economic Analysis, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(3), pages 318-345, July.
    12. Roberto Cellini & Tiziana Cuccia & Domenico Lisi, 2020. "Spatial dependence in museum services: an analysis of the Italian case," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 44(4), pages 535-562, December.
    13. Natacha Postel-Vinay, 2014. "Debt Dilution in 1920s America: Lighting the Fuse of a Mortgage Crisis," Working Papers 0053, European Historical Economics Society (EHES).
    14. Esteves, Rui & Geisler Mesevage, Gabriel, 2019. "Social Networks in Economic History: Opportunities and Challenges," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    15. Leandro Prados De La Escosura, 2016. "Economic freedom in the long run: evidence from OECD countries (1850–2007)," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 69(2), pages 435-468, May.
    16. Michel Serafinelli & Guido Tabellini, 2022. "Creativity over time and space," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 27(1), pages 1-43, March.
    17. Amir B. Ferreira Neto, 2021. "The diffusion of cultural district laws across US States," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 67(1), pages 189-210, August.
    18. de Santana Ribeiro, Luiz Carlos & Carneiro Rios Lopes, Thiago Henrique & Borges Ferreira Neto, Amir & Rodrigues dos Santos, Fernanda, 2019. "Spatial spillovers of the cultural employment growth in Brazilian municipalities," MPRA Paper 91528, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    19. Krenz, Astrid, 2014. "Agglomeration of knowledge: A regional economic analysis for the German economy," University of Göttingen Working Papers in Economics 206, University of Goettingen, Department of Economics.
    20. Luiz Carlos Santana Ribeiro & Thiago Henrique Carneiro Rios Lopes & Amir Borges Ferreira Neto & Fernanda Rodrigues Santos, 2020. "Cultural employment growth in Brazilian municipalities," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 44(4), pages 605-624, December.
    21. Tao, Jin & Ho, Chun-Yu & Luo, Shougui & Sheng, Yue, 2019. "Agglomeration economies in creative industries," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 141-154.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    agglomeration economies; density effects; peer effects; productivity; urban history; cities; composer;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • N90 - Economic History - - Regional and Urban History - - - General, International, or Comparative
    • R12 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity; Interregional Trade (economic geography)
    • Z11 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economics of the Arts and Literature

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