Formalizing Symbolic Capital: Blockchain Titling and the Invisible Art Market in the Global South

Title:
The Invisible Art Market: Informal Networks, Symbolic Capital, and Market Activity in Latin America

DOI:
10.5281/zenodo.15383517

Creators:
Brown, Scott (University of Puerto Rico – Río Piedras, Professor of Finance)

Description:
This dataset supports the empirical analysis presented in “The Invisible Art Market: Informal Networks, Symbolic Capital, and Market Activity in Latin America.” The study investigates how weak institutional frameworks, symbolic capital, and informal networks shape national art market development, with a special focus on BRIC countries and Latin America.

The dataset integrates four key sources:

• Art Sales Data (2021–2024) across Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC) compiled from Artprice and Art Basel reports.

• Macroeconomic indicators from the World Bank’s GDP data.

• Institutional quality metrics using the International Property Rights Index (IPRI) and V-Dem rule of law variables.

A regression analysis (replicable via the art_market_brics.py Python script) demonstrates that stronger property rights (IPRI) and higher GDP are statistically associated with increased national art sales, even in non-Western economies. The data and code comply with FAIR principles and are structured for open replication and policy use.

Files included:

• art_market_brics.py (Python code to replicate regression models)

• BRIC_Art_Sales_2021_2024.csv (manually extracted and cleaned auction turnover data)

• GDP.csv (World Bank GDP data 2021–2024)

• IPRI_Country_Tables_Manual.xlsx (Institutional property rights index data, 2024)

• vdem_variables_filtered_1996_onward.xlsx (Governance data on Rule of Law from V-Dem)

Keywords:
art market, cultural economics, symbolic capital, institutional economics, BRIC countries, Latin America, intellectual property rights, informal economy, governance, development policy, Hernando de Soto

Subjects:

• Economics and Econometrics

• Cultural Studies

• Development Studies

• Public Policy

• Law and Society

License:
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Language:
English

Version:
1.0

Publication Date:
2025-05-13

Publisher:
Zenodo

Funding:
None (institutionally unfunded, conducted at a public university under resource constraints)

Related Works:
This dataset underpins the paper:
Brown, S. M. (2025). The Invisible Art Market: Symbolic Capital, Informal Institutions, and Development Constraints in Latin America [Manuscript in preparation].