American Economic Journal:
Microeconomics
ISSN 1945-7669 (Print) | ISSN 1945-7685 (Online)
The Pricing of Academic Journals: A Two-Sided Market Perspective
American Economic Journal: Microeconomics
(pp. 222–55)
Abstract
More and more academic journals are adopting an open access policy by which articles are accessible free of charge, while publication costs are recovered through author fees. We study the consequences of this open access policy on the quality standard of an electronic academic journal. If the journal's objective were to maximize social welfare, open access would be optimal. However, we show that if the journal has a different objective (such as maximizing readers' utility, the impact of the journal, or its profit), open access tends to induce it to choose a quality standard below the socially efficient level. (JEL L11, L82)Citation
Jeon, Doh-Shin, and Jean-Charles Rochet. 2010. "The Pricing of Academic Journals: A Two-Sided Market Perspective." American Economic Journal: Microeconomics 2 (2): 222–55. DOI: 10.1257/mic.2.2.222JEL Classification
- L11 Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
- L82 Entertainment; Media