This book uses economic theory to explain how consumers and producers have responded to major changes in the music industry. Byun examines the important role of technology in changing its structure, particularly as new methods of creating and accessing music prove to be a double-edged sword for creators and producers. This second edition includes new information about concert attendance and live performance in the COVID era and what followed, as well as the resultant economic impacts on the industry.

Throughout the book, Byun questions how the business of music affects creativity and the extent to which this impacts the creative output of the individual artist. Chapters also address copyright enforcement and online piracy. This is an approachable resource for economists interested in the music industry as well as business and music majors studying the ways in which technology can impact a creative process.

The Paradox of Intellectual Property in Capitalism is an innovative book that comprehensively discusses and analyses intellectual property under capitalistic social conditions and relations. It not only addresses some historical developments of intellectual property but also brings to the fore the very notion of what knowledge is, knowledge creation, and knowledge production and appropriation within a Marxist framework. Nonetheless, the adopted approach pays heed to multiple fields of knowledge, providing rich discussions that facilitate the understanding of actual social totality in which capitalism, knowledge production and appropriation, and the struggles of appropriation mutually reinforce each other, although not devoid of antagonisms and contradictions.

In light of contemporary capitalism, the transformations that social property relations are undergoing must be scrutinised - such as those brought about by the development of digitalisation and the convergence between big pharma and tech giants. What are the conditions of intellectual property creation today? What theoretical assumptions does it make? Under what social relations is intellectual property produced?

This textbook offers a compact, yet formal, synthesis of the broad field of consumption theory. Written in a coherent and accessible way, this book introduces graduate and postgraduate students to dynamic optimization applied to consumption under certainty and uncertainty, in discrete and continuous time. Delving into deterministic and stochastic models, including the use of Brownian motions, the book offers a deeper understanding of consumption decisions and their impact on asset pricing and investment in partial and general equilibrium.

This book compiles lecture notes from advanced courses in micro- and macroeconomics, ensuring a self-contained introduction to the subject. Balancing simplicity with analytical rigor, the book equips readers with essential methodological tools for advanced research in economics. With empirical evidence and exercises integrated throughout, this textbook stands as the go-to resource for scholars and students alike, fostering further theoretical explorations in the field. Basic knowledge of economics, mathematics, and econometrics is recommended for a comprehensive understanding.

This accessible textbook introduces the foundations of applied econometrics and statistics for undergraduate students. It covers key topics in econometrics by using step-by-step examples in Gretl and R, providing a guide to using statistical software and the tools for econometric analysis in one self-contained resource.

Taking a concise, non-technical approach, the book covers topics including simple regression and hypothesis testing, multiple regression with control variables and isolating effects, instrumental variables, dummy variables, non-linear effects, probability models, heteroskedasticity, time series analysis, and other applied statistical tools such as t-tests and chi squared tests. The book uses small data sets to easily facilitate students' transition from manual statistical calculations to using and understanding statistical software, including step-by-step examples of regression analysis, as well as additional chapters to aid with econometric notation and mathematical prerequisites, and accompanying online exercises and data sets. This book will be a valuable resource for upper undergraduate students taking courses in introductory econometrics and statistics, as well as students in business administration and other fields of study in social sciences utilising quantitative methods. Graduate students may also benefit from the book.

This 3rd edition revised and extended compendium contains and explains essential mathematical formulas within an economic context. Newly added content introduces the mathematical practical application of optimization by using the Lagrange function, presenting the issue of linear optimization cases where the relative extremes (minima or maxima) of a linear (target) function can be determined under restrictive linear constraint and its relevance for business management practice.

A broad range of aids and supportive examples will help readers to understand the formulas and their practical applications. This mathematical formulary is presented in a practice-oriented, clear, and understandable manner, as it is needed for meaningful and relevant application in global business, as well as in the academic setting and economic practice. The topics presented include but are not limited to mathematical signs and symbols, logic, arithmetic, algebra, linear algebra, combinatorics, and financial mathematics, including an international comparison between different national methods used in the calculation of interest, optimization of linear models, functions, differential calculus, integral calculus, elasticities, annuity calculation, economic functions, and the Peren Theorem.

Given its scope, the book offers an indispensable reference guide and is a must-read for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as managers, scholars, and lecturers in business, politics, and economics.

The first volume of this three-volume resource presents a historical analysis of the practice of smoking, the rise and fall of the cigarette market, and the successes and failures of tobacco control. While taxes, regulations, and various behavioral and pharmacological interventions have helped many people to quit smoking, they have not helped everyone. The authors explain why these strategies alone are likely insufficient to elicit smoking cessation among the remaining group, and why "ramping up" these strategies may also backfire.

Drawing on examples from the U.S., Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, this volume introduces the technology of e-cigarettes, explaining the origins of the innovation, patterns of use among consumers, and the perception of e-cigarettes among key stakeholder groups.

For millions, e-cigarettes provide a means to relieve nicotine cravings while avoiding harmful cigarette smoke. In the second volume in this three-volume resource, the authors provide a critical review of evidence concerning the health effects of vaping and whether using e-cigarettes helps or hinders cessation from smoking. The empirical evidence, however, does not help decision-makers resolve the normative questions relating to e-cigarettes. Different priorities, values, and interpretations of available data have led to seemingly intractable disagreements between stakeholders about the promise of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation and the risks they pose to public health. The misinformation and motivated bias surrounding issues regarding vaping both follow from but also enhance polarization, perpetuating confusion about e-cigarettes and leading to poor decision-making by government agencies and people who smoke. The authors argue that, ultimately, the safety and efficacy of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation are not immutable properties of the product class-itself diverse and dynamic-but are also contingent upon the conditions of the regulatory environment, and the manner in which e-cigarettes are discussed by regulators and the media. This volume provides important context to help decision makers at all levels better understand the risk and benefits of e-cigarettes and the tradeoffs between them.

What role should the tobacco industry have in the e-cigarette market? Should manufacturers contribute to the production of evidence on their products' safety and efficacy? What are the environmental impacts of e-cigarette use and how should these feature in the discussion? How do e-cigarettes influence smoking-related health disparities? Should physicians recommend switching to e-cigarettes for those who smoke? How broadly applicable is the utility of e-cigarettes? And how should the discourse respond to emerging data? This volume examines the opportunities and challenges of optimizing e-cigarette regulation. The authors describe emerging evidence suggesting that restrictions on e-cigarettes can backfire by nudging consumers toward riskier alternatives. Adopting a social welfare-based approach drawing on economics, policy analysis and regulatory science, the authors then explore how optimal e-cigarette policy might balance risks and benefits, suggesting that it is possibleto leverage the promise of e-cigarettes-a product that is more popular than traditional cessation aids-to protect current and future generations from the smoking-related harms, while still taking important steps to discourage use by young people and those who do not smoke.

This open-access book provides fresh and much-needed insights into the interconnections between law, society and governance in Central Asia. By taking the interdisciplinary perspective of law and society, the book explores the social life of law and legal institutions in Central Asia in broader terms, encompassing not only the state legal system and institutions but also various informal (non-legal) forms of normative ordering. The topics covered within this book will be of interest to many scholars considering various theoretical and methodological challenges in studying law, governance, and informality in authoritarian regime contexts such as Central Asia. Considering interdisciplinary approaches taken within the volume, we aim to reach out to the students and scholars within the following disciplines and fields of study.

* Central Asian Studies

* Communist and post-communist studies

* Anthropology: Economic Anthropology, Legal Anthropology, Anthropology of Law

* Business sciences

* Socio-legal studies

* Transnational Politics and Governance

* Law and economics

The publication of scholarly research is both a major driver of social progress and a significant industry in its own right. Scholarly research is the focus of attention for countless numbers of scholars globally and a key measure of scholarly excellence. Much has been written about the conduct of research that is designed to help scholars attain appropriate standards of rigor and relevance, and indeed craft their research outputs in ways appropriate for different venues, notably as journal articles, conference papers, book chapters, and books. However, although scholarly researchers fulfill roles other than as authors, for instance as journal reviewers and editors, there is a dearth of consolidated information about the nature of editorial work. Drawing on over two decades of experience in editing scholarly journals, the author offers a more systematic guide to scholarly journal editing.

The book begins with an introduction to the art of scholarly journal editing,the nature of that art (Chapter 1), and an examination of editorial promulgation of cultural values of scholarly journals with an emphasis on responsible research (Chapter 2). Chapter 3 examines the many issues associated with sourcing content, and opines on the novelty, breadth, and depth of research, including discussions of indigenous theorization, serendipity, iconoclastic research, and the value of special issues. Chapter 4 deals with the review process and offers advice for formulating effective reviewer guidelines that lead to constructive and developmental advice for authors. The next two chapters discuss the audience of the journal as well as publisher relations. Finally, the book is concluded with thoughts and recommendations about emerging challenges, such as the ethics of AI tools (like ChatGPT), predatory journals, and the open-access movement.

Offering a practical guide to editing scholarly journals, this book will be a key resource for scholars making the leap from researcher to editor, regardless of discipline.

This book delves into Trinidad and Tobago's development with a fresh lens. It stands as the inaugural empirical exploration of the country's unique attributes, including its diversity, ex-British colony status, small-state categorization by population size, and its dependence on hydrocarbons.

Through meticulous empirical analysis, this book scrutinizes the nation's economic, social, and political outcomes within the context of these four distinctive parameters, offering fresh insights into the country's development trajectory.

What sets this book apart is its unwavering commitment to a data-driven approach. Drawing upon a vast array of databases from both international and national sources, it provides a thorough examination of development indicators, household welfare metrics, firm-level performance, and individual perspectives on a wide range of political, economic, and social issues.

For scholars, policymakers, and anyone with an interest in understanding how unique contextual factors shape a Trinidad and Tobago's development, this book offers an enlightening and data-rich perspective on the nation's journey towards progress and prosperity.

The metaverse is undergoing rapid and transformative changes, yet it has thus far lacked a comprehensive scholarly examination from a global and comparative standpoint. The publication addresses existing gaps by introducing fresh perspectives and frameworks across various domains within the metaverse, including law, economics, and finance. Drawing upon the expertise of an international cohort of scholars and practitioners, this volume illuminates emerging interdisciplinary insights with global relevance, facilitating a comparative analysis of diverse aspects of the metaverse. Timely and essential, this book contributes significantly to the metaverse literature, addressing urgent issues in this evolving landscape.

This open access book intends to contribute to the debate on migrant labour exploitation by exploring the extent to which the EU and the European countries provide a standard for protecting migrant workers. It moves from a socio-legal and theoretical perspective and builds on critical studies on vulnerability, exploitation, trafficking and migrant labour regimes - along with relevant feminist theories, including theories on social reproduction - while also drawing on extensive fieldwork. By mobilising the concept of 'situational vulnerabilities', the book critically investigates the assemblage and interaction of factors creating and amplifying migrant workers' vulnerabilities to exploitation in the key sectors of agriculture and domestic work. The aim is to highlight how situations of vulnerability to exploitation are generated and exacerbated by relevant legal and policy frameworks, underlining and questioning the tensions, continuities, and ambiguities between different regimes, such as the regimes regulating labour migration and those intended to combat severe exploitation. While at national level the focus is on relevant Italian legal and policy instruments and approaches, the book also offers a comparative look at those adopted in the UK.

This critical analysis considers labour exploitation both in its systemic dimension and as a continuum. It sheds lights on how forms of exploitation are associated with different 'situational' vulnerabilities produced by the interplay of personal and structural factors in line with a gender and intersectional approach. By engaging an analysis of the ways in which the concepts of exploitation and vulnerability are addressed and formulated in various international, European, and national legal and policy instruments, the study reveals the limitations and ambiguities of applicable legislation and policies. The book is a great resource for students and academics in the field as well as legal practitioners and policymakers interested in human rights, migration studies, labour rights, labour exploitation, and gender related issues.