Onderzoeksartikel

Communicatie-economie: tussen cultuur, markt en overheidsbeleid: bestudering van de economische organisatie van de communicatie-industrie

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Abstract

In this article it is argued that communication scholars should pay attention to the economic organisation of the communication industry. One reason for this is the distinctive nature of the institutionalized processes that eventually shape the nature of supply of communication products. Due to the a-typical nature of these products media firms are often structured in a different way. A few specific characteristics that are not adressed in standard economic theory are: the duality of media products, the relative high first copy costs and nearly constant marginal costs of distribution, the non-rivalous consumption of information, the temporary value of some content (e.g. news), the uncertainty about success, the necessity for constant innovation and the repackageability of information products (multiple windows). In this article a theoretical framework is presented that can serve as a conceptual basis for media economic research of the development of media industries. The proposed theoretical framework which tries to incorporate dynamic expansion and contraction processes and the constant interaction between strategy, structure and government policy, may contribute to the evaluation of government policy in relation to media performance. The main purpose of the framework that is presented in this paper is to gain a better understanding of the possibilities which governments have to pursue integrated communication policy thereby aiming at political, socio-cultural and economic objectives, and how these objectives can be made compatible with each other. In order to develop and implement ‘good’ communication policy, it is a necessary condition to understand the process of production and distribution of ideas. Revealing and analyzing the mechanisms involved in this process is a task of media economics.

How to Cite:

Hendriks, P., (1995) “Communicatie-economie: tussen cultuur, markt en overheidsbeleid: bestudering van de economische organisatie van de communicatie-industrie”, Massacommunicatie : Wetenschappelijk Kwartaaltijdschrift voor Communicatie en Informatie 23(1), 19–40.