The Welfare Effects of Gender-Inclusive Intellectual Property Creation: Evidence from Books

Joel Waldfogel

Journal of Political Economy, 2025, vol. 133, issue 7, 2229 - 2264

Abstract: Women have traditionally participated in intellectual property creation at depressed rates relative to men. Book authorship is now an exception: women now publish more than half of new books. Adding new products can have significant welfare benefits, particularly when product quality is unpredictable. Growth in female-authored books has delivered substantial increases in the female-authored shares of consumption, book awards, and other measures of success, indicating that the additional female-authored books are useful to consumers. The welfare benefit from gender-inclusive innovation is large and accrues to a wide range of consumers.

Date: 2025
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