The Constitution of Cultural Property: Actors, Discourses, Contexts, Rules

Topic
The Constitution of Cultural Property: Actors, Discourses, Contexts, Rules

Sub-Project: The Law and Economics of cultural property: An economic analysis of the institutions of rule-making

Client
DFG (German Research Society)

Duration
1.6.2008 - 31.5.2011

Publications
Discussion Paper No. 136 des Volkswirtschaftlichen Seminars der Universität Göttingen

Brief description
The project analyses the international organisation of rights of disposal on cultural property. By using an approach based on positive-analytical institutional economics, the participating and affected actors'’ interests and incentives shall be examined. From a welfare economics perspective, an optimal configuration of cultural property rights shall be designed, taking into consideration a positive and normative analytical approach. Emphasis shall be put on the development of cultural property rights in the context of the international negotiation process of the WIPO. Thus a cultural property right is the allocation of a specific right of disposal, i.e. to an indigenous group as a collective. The first phase envisages the formulation of a common definition of cultural property in cooperation with other sub-projects, which shall be followed by determining the requirements for rights of disposal on cultural property. Thereafter the formation of rules in the WIPO itself shall be investigated, which is leading in research on protection of cultural property. Consequentially, political developmental perspectives for the international disposal system on cultural property shall be derived from the conclusions developed.

Co-operation partners
Prof. Dr. Regina Bendix, Institut für Kulturanthropologie/Europäische Ethnologie, Göttingen (Spokeswoman)
Prof. Dr. Kilian Bizer, Volkswirtschaftliches Seminar, Göttingen
Dr. Beate Engelbrecht, Institut für den Wissenschaftlichen Film, Göttingen
Prof. Dr. Brigitta Hauser-Schäublin, Institut für Ethnologie, Göttingen
Prof. Dr. Thomas Hengartner, Institut für Volkskunde, Hamburg
Prof. Dr. Gerald Spindler, Institut für Wirtschaftsrecht, Göttingen
Prof. Dr. Peter Tobias Stoll, Institut für Völkerrecht, Göttingen
Prof. Dr. Bernhard Tschofen, Institut für empirische Kulturwissenschaft, Tübingen

Links
WIPO - World Intellectual Property Organization
DFG - Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Interdisziplinäre Forschergruppe zu Cultural Property

Contact
Prof. Dr. Kilian Bizer
Marianna Bicskei
Dr. Zulia Gubaydullina
Matthias Lankau