Learning in Creative Tasks: Evidence from a Digital Platform

Jiatong Zhong

No 2026-01, Working Papers from University of Alberta, Department of Economics

Abstract: This paper explores learning-by-doing in the context of creative tasks using detailed data on fiction writers from a digital publishing platform. I construct measures to quantify authors’ performance over time and document significant variation in both starting levels and rates of improvement. Learning manifests as an improvement in quality instead of the speed of production. Writers improve slowly at the beginning, but quality improvement can last for several years, much longer than typically observed in manufacturing settings.

Keywords: learning by doing; learning curves; creative tasks (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D83 J24 J46 L82 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 65
Date: 2026-01-20
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https://sites.ualberta.ca/~econwps/2026/wp2026-01.pdf

Related works:
Working Paper: Learning in creative tasks: Evidence from a digital platform (2024)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ris:albaec:022118

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