Petra Moser on Italian Opera, World Fairs and Innovation

February 22, 2019

Much of what we consume today is content driven by creativity and innovation. (iStock by Getty images)

- Petra Moser on Italian Opera, World Fairs and Innovation
75
In This Episode

The effects of copyright and patent laws on artistic creativity and technological innovation are gaining more and more significance in today's economy driven to a large part by content. Economic historian Petra Moser uses data from 19th century Italian operas and world fairs to examine the economic implications of basic copyright and patent protection for innovators. In this podcast, Moser describes how Napoleon's military victories in Italy in the late 1700s changed the copyright landscape and created an excellent model to study the effects on Italian opera composers. Petra Moser is an associate professor of Economics at New York University, and was invited by the IMF's Institute for Capacity Development to present her research on the economic impact of creativity and innovation.

Petra Moser is an economic historian at the Stern School of Business, New York University. You can find her research papers at PetraMoser.net

Join Us on Every Major Platform

BEHIND THE MIC

Bruce Edwards

International Monetary Fund

Bruce Edwards produces the IMF podcast program. He's an award-winning audio producer and journalist who's covered armed conflicts, social unrest, and natural disasters from all corners of the world. He believes economists have an important role in solving the world's problems and aspires to showcase their research in every IMF podcast.

Rhoda Metcalfe

RHODA METCALFE is an independent journalist and audio producer.

About IMF Podcasts

IMF Podcasts are the views of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff and external officials on pressing economic and policy issues of the day. The IMF, based in Washington D.C., is an organization of 191 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation and financial stability around the world. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF and its Executive Board.

© 2025 INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED