Working Paper: NBER ID: w26885
Authors: Michela Giorcelli; Petra Moser
Abstract: This paper exploits exogenous variation in the adoption of copyrights – as a result of the timing of Napoléon’s military victories in Italy – to examine the effects of copyrights on creativity. To measure changes in creative output we compare changes in the creation of new operas across states with and without copyrights. Difference-in-differences analyses show that basic copyrights increased both the number and the quality of operas, measured by their popularity and durability. Notably, there is no evidence of comparable benefits for extensions in copyright lengths. Complementary analyses for other types of musical compositions confirm the main results.
Keywords: Copyright; Creativity; Italian Opera; Napoleonic Age
JEL Codes: K0; N23; O34
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Copyright adoption (O34) | Increase in number of new operas created (Z11) |
| Copyright adoption (O34) | Improvement in quality of operas created (L15) |
| Copyright adoption (O34) | Increase in share of operas performed at the Metropolitan Opera House (D33) |
| Copyright adoption (O34) | No evidence of brain drain from other states to Lombardy and Venetia (J69) |
| Extension of copyright lengths (O34) | Minimal effects on creativity (C90) |
| Extension of copyright lengths (O34) | Decline in creative output post-extension (O34) |