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Is beauty defined by victors? An analysis of colonial sites of the UNESCO WHL

Author

Listed:
  • Martina Dattilo

    (CREM-CNRS, University of Rennes 1)

  • Fabio Padovano

    (CREM-CNRS, Condorcet Center for Political Economy, University of Rennes 1 and DSP, Università Roma Tre, Italy)

  • Yvon Rocaboy

    (CREM-CNRS, Condorcet Center for Political Economy, University of Rennes 1)

Abstract

Some public choice and cultural economics scholars have argued that Europe is over-represented in the UNESCO World Heritage List (WHL), because of a superior ability to impose aesthetic standards that drive the choice of sites candidate to the WHL. We address this issue by examining the perceived quality of sites in countries where these can be either indigenous or European-like (colonial). The quality of sites is computed both as the sum of criteria of Outstanding Universal Value and by a textual analysis of the reports of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS). These evaluations are mainly driven by aesthetic standards as they are made at a stage preceding the lobbying process for inclusion of the sites in the WHL. The estimates point out that neither differences in quality, nor in the probability of inscription, exist between colonial and native sites, suggesting that ICOMOS experts are impartial.

Suggested Citation

  • Martina Dattilo & Fabio Padovano & Yvon Rocaboy, 2020. "Is beauty defined by victors? An analysis of colonial sites of the UNESCO WHL," Economics Working Paper from Condorcet Center for political Economy at CREM-CNRS 2020-04-ccr, Condorcet Center for political Economy.
    • Handle: RePEc:tut:cccrwp:2020-04-ccr
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    File URL: https://ged.univ-rennes1.fr/nuxeo/site/esupversions/0722c53f-65a4-4af4-bac3-d627ebc5bce0
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lasse Steiner & Bruno S. Frey, 2011. "Imbalance of World Heritage List: did the UNESCO strategy work?," ECON - Working Papers 014, Department of Economics - University of Zurich.
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    Cited by:

    1. Martina Dattilo & Fabio Padovano & Yvon Rocaboy, 2023. "More is worse: the evolution of quality of the UNESCO World Heritage List and its determinants," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 47(1), pages 71-96, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    UNESCO World Heritage List; international organizations; measurement of quality; cultural capital; colonization;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H87 - Public Economics - - Miscellaneous Issues - - - International Fiscal Issues; International Public Goods
    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • F53 - International Economics - - International Relations, National Security, and International Political Economy - - - International Agreements and Observance; International Organizations
    • O19 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - International Linkages to Development; Role of International Organizations
    • Z11 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economics of the Arts and Literature
    • L15 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Information and Product Quality

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