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Revealing the truth! Why do some countries still insist on fixed book prices?
Fixed Book Price (FBP) remains a controversial topic in book markets around the world. In some countries, such as France and Germany, such laws or agreements exist that allow publishers to decide how much books should be sold for, ensuring the survival of small bookstores and promoting cultural diversity. However, the system has also sparked debate about price competition, book accessibility and the publishing market.
The main purpose of the fixed-price book law is to promote non-price competition among bookstores in order to promote those hard-to-get, important cultural books.
The principle of fixed book price method
The emergence of fixed book prices stems from the belief in cultural diversity and the stability of the book market. Experts believe that high-quality bookstores are a necessary condition for the distribution of diverse books, which is essential to a country's cultural life. These bookstores face additional costs and are unable to compete with discount stores that focus on bestsellers, so the introduction of a fixed price system protects the bookstores' profit margins and gives them enough resources to promote less popular books.
Global Status of Price Fixing
Historically, many countries with significant book industries have had fixed book prices since the 19th century. With the development of competition policy in the 1970s, some countries, such as Australia and Sweden, gradually abolished this system. However, countries such as Spain, Greece and Italy passed laws during this period making fixed book prices mandatory.
In some countries, fixed book prices still exist in about one-third of the European Union member states, showing their deep historical roots.
Evaluation of the Fixed Price Book Method
There are divergent assessments in the economics community regarding the effectiveness of the fixed book price system. On the one hand, some economists doubt its cultural value, pointing out that it will lead to market distortions; on the other hand, there are also economists and people in the book industry who believe that it is the only tool to protect the publication of cultural works. They point out that although the model has certain distortions, it can expand the influence of culture and allow more books with cultural significance to be published.
Empirical Evaluation of the Fixed Book Price Method
Comparing countries with and without fixed-price laws, many studies have shown that when fixed-price laws are abolished, small independent bookstores are replaced by large chains, prices for best-sellers are lowered, and other The price of books will rise. For example, after the end of fixed book prices in the UK, although the number of small bookshops decreased, some regional bookshops with high-quality demand still survived.
Some studies have shown that fixed book prices play an important role in maintaining the network of independent bookstores and limiting the growth of chain bookstores.
The future of the market
As market conditions continue to change, a key question is whether national book price fixing laws will continue to have influence in the future. With the rise of e-books and online booksellers, traditional bookstores face greater challenges to their survival. Will this lead to a new wave of reflection or reform of the fixed book price law?
In this ever-changing book market, fixed price laws may help protect cultural diversity, but when price competition and consumer demand conflict with each other, is this system still a choice with more benefits than disadvantages?
