We welcome you to join us for the next meeting of the Money, Markets, and Governance workshop, on Tuesday, May 17th, 4:30PM – 6PM, at Social Science Research Building classroom 401.
Fiona Rose-Greenland
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society
and James Marrone
PhD Candidate, Economics, University of Chicago
A New Method for Evaluating the Market Value of Cultural Artifacts from the Islamic State
Discussant: Nick Judd
PhD Student, Sociology, University of Chicago
Abstract: Archaeological artifacts are presumed to be a key source of income for the Islamic State and other insurgent groups in Syria and Iraq. Estimates of the value of the artifacts trade range from $7 billion to a few million, a variance explained by a general lack of quantitative rigor. Establishing reliable estimates are important in order to create policy tools that can protect irreplaceable cultural goods and reduce insurgent cash flows. Generating a systematic methodology, moreover, offers analytical purchase on a broader class of questions about valuation mechanisms, artifact concentrations, and political change. In an effort to establish a rigorous approach to the question of income derived from the trade in looted artifacts (“antiquities”), we construct a multi-step methodology incorporating excavation data, auction sales data, and price imputation. This paper discusses the novel contribution of the price imputation method.
*** For a fruitful discussion, participants are requested to engage with the paper in advance. For a copy of the paper please contact the coordinator***
For issues of disability or accessibility concerns please contact yanivr (at) uchicago (dot) edu.