Valuing theater performances through benefit transfer: Accuracy of transfers over space

Ewa Zawojska, Bartosz Jusypenko and Aleksandra Wiśniewska
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Bartosz Jusypenko: Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Warsaw
Aleksandra Wiśniewska: Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Warsaw

No 2025-10, Working Papers from Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Warsaw

Abstract: Understanding the value of cultural goods such as performing arts is essential for designing welfare-maximizing cultural policies. However, since these goods often generate public externalities, market data alone cannot capture their full value. While primary non-market valuation studies offer robust insights, they are resource-intensive. Benefit transfer (BT)—using value estimates from existing studies to assess unstudied contexts—offers a cost-effective alternative. This study examines the accuracy of BT in cultural economics, focusing on marginal values of theater performances. Using data from a discrete choice experiment (DCE) conducted in six Polish provinces, we perform inter-provincial transfers of marginal willingness-to-pay values for four types of theater performances. By comparing transferred values with primary estimates, we assess BT’s validity and reliability. To our knowledge, this is the first BT study in cultural economics using DCE-derived marginal values. Our findings suggest that BT accuracy in culture aligns with results from more established fields, supporting the use of DCE-based estimates in cultural policy evaluation.

Keywords: accuracy; benefit transfer; discrete choice experiment; performing arts; reliability; validity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H43 Z11 Z18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 52 pages
Date: 2025
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cul and nep-dcm
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:war:wpaper:2025-10

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