Abstract

The emphasis on creative industries as a source of economic growth has highlighted the role of creativity and of copyright as an incentive, as well as the problems of measuring them. Little is known about the economics of creativity and this is a gap in our knowledge that deserves detailed research. Similarly, economists know very little empirically about copyright as an incentive to creativity by individual creators. The application of ‘crowding’ theory to the motivation of creators forms a basis for such research, as does work in cultural economics on artists’ labour markets.