Digitization and the Market for Physical Works: Evidence from the Google Books Project

IF 5.6 1区经济学 Q1 ECONOMICS

American Economic Journal-Economic Policy Pub Date : 2023-11-01 DOI:10.1257/pol.20210702

Abhishek Nagaraj, Imke Reimers

引用次数: 0

Abstract

The free digital distribution of creative works could cannibalize demand for physical versions, but it could also boost physical sales by enabling consumers to discover the original work. We study the impact of the Google Books digitization project on the market for physical books. We find that digitization significantly boosts the demand for physical versions and provide evidence for the discovery channel. Moreover, digitization allows independent publishers to introduce new editions for existing books, further increasing sales. Our results highlight the potential of free digital distribution to strengthen the demand for and supply of physical products. (JEL D12, L82, L86)

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数字化与实体作品市场:来自谷歌图书项目的证据

创意作品的免费数字发行可能会蚕食对实体版本的需求，但它也可以通过让消费者发现原创作品来促进实体销售。我们研究了谷歌图书数字化项目对实体图书市场的影响。我们发现数字化极大地促进了对实体版本的需求，并为发现渠道提供了证据。此外，数字化允许独立出版商为现有书籍推出新版本，从而进一步提高销量。我们的研究结果强调了免费数字发行在加强实体产品需求和供应方面的潜力。(2012年，1982年，1986年)

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

American Economic Journal-Economic Policy ECONOMICS-

CiteScore

8.20

自引率

1.90%

发文量

期刊介绍： The American Economic Review (AER) is a general-interest economics journal. The journal publishes 12 issues containing articles on a broad range of topics. Established in 1911, the AER is among the nation's oldest and most respected scholarly journals in economics. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy publishes papers covering a range of topics, the common theme being the role of economic policy in economic outcomes. Subject areas include public economics; urban and regional economics; public policy aspects of health, education, welfare and political institutions; law and economics; economic regulation; and environmental and natural resource economics.