Culture Shocks and Consequences: the connection between the arts and urban economic growth

Peter Pedroni and Stephen Sheppard

No 2012-04, Department of Economics Working Papers from Department of Economics, Williams College

Abstract: Is there a relationship between local arts and culture production and local prosperity that is permanent rather than transitory? The answer to this question determines whether arts and culture production generates economic growth or a temporary `multiplier' effect that diminishes over time. We argue that despite the obvious public policy interest in the subject there has been no fully satisfactory empirical analysis of this question. In this paper we provide a model that allows us to think systematically about the problem and an empirical methodology capable of testing relevant hypotheses concerning possible answers to the question. We identify data to which these methods can be applied, using per capita GDP and expenditure levels of arts and culture production by not-for-profit organizations in US urban areas. Our analysis suggests that the impact of arts and culture production is not transitory. Shocks to local arts and culture production generate impacts that alter the local economy and change steady-state GDP.

Keywords: Arts; Economic Growth; Non-profit organizations (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C33 L30 R11 Z11 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 32 pages
Date: 2012-04
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://web.williams.edu/Economics/wp/PedroniShepp ... sAndConsequences.pdf Full text (application/pdf)
Our link check indicates that this URL is bad, the error code is: 500 Can't connect to web.williams.edu:443 (SSL connect attempt failed error:0A000152:SSL routines::unsafe legacy renegotiation disabled)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wil:wileco:2012-04

Ordering information: This working paper can be ordered from

The price is Free.

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Department of Economics Working Papers from Department of Economics, Williams College Williamstown, MA 01267. Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Greg Phelan ().