Researching Media Management and Media Economics: Methodological Approaches and Issues

This paper, which draws heavily on a chapter by the authors for the forthcoming Handbook of Media Management and Economics (Albarran, 2005), focuses on potential methodological challenges facing scholars interested in the economics of cultural industries and, especially, economics of media. Drawing on previous work by economic researchers, it examines what is unusual or special about economics of media and what sorts of distinctive problems may emerge in the course of applying conventional economic theory to the activities of media or other culturally creative sectors. Our paper examines some of the approaches taken towards carrying out research in media economics and likely limitations and pitfalls that may be encountered and it considers whether such problems act as a deterrent to scholarly work in our field.