Research Specialties

David Throsby is internationally known for his work in the economics of the arts and culture. His book The Economics of the Performing Arts, co-authored with Glenn Withers, first published in 1979 and reissued in 1993, has become a standard reference work in the field. In addition to the performing arts, Professor Throsby's research and writing has covered the economic role of artists, the economics of public intervention in arts markets, cultural development, cultural policy, heritage issues, and sustainability of cultural processes. He has also written extensively on the theory of public goods and the economics of higher education. Professor Throsby's book, Economics and Culture, was published in 2001 by Cambridge University Press, and he has recently co-edited A Handbook of the Economics of the Arts and Culture (2006, Elsevier/North-Holland) and Beyond Price: Value in Culture, Economics, and the Arts (2008, Cambridge University Press). He is currently working on a book on cultural policy to be published in 2009.

Research Grants/Projects

From the Australia Council 2002, for research project Survey of Australian Artists.

From Columbia University, New York 2003, for research project on Career Transition of Professional Dancers.

From Rockefeller Foundation, New York 2003, for project on Value and Valuation in Arts and Culture (Team Residency at Bellagio Study and Conference Centre, Italy).

From ARC, Discovery Grant 2004, for project on Culture and the Economy: Economic and Culture Value Creation in the Arts, Heritage and Cultural Industries.