The Pricing of Academic Journals: A Two-Sided Market Perspective

Doh-Shin Jeon and Jean Rochet

American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, 2010, vol. 2, issue 2, 222-55

Abstract: More and more academic journals are adopting an open access policy by which articles are accessible free of charge, while publication costs are recovered through author fees. We study the consequences of this open access policy on the quality standard of an electronic academic journal. If the journal's objective were to maximize social welfare, open access would be optimal. However, we show that if the journal has a different objective (such as maximizing readers' utility, the impact of the journal, or its profit), open access tends to induce it to choose a quality standard below the socially efficient level. (JEL L11, L82)

JEL-codes: L11 L82 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010
Note: DOI: 10.1257/mic.2.2.222
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (59)

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Related works:
Working Paper: The Pricing of Academic Journals: A Two-Sided Market Perspective (2009)
Working Paper: The Pricing of Academic Journals: A Two-Sided Market Perspective (2009)
Working Paper: The pricing of academic journals: A two-sided market perspective (2009)
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