Book and Market.

The fixed book price is controversial. This evaluation reviews the effectiveness and efficiency of the fixed book price; are the three aims of cultural policy (availability of a wide range of titles, wide accessibility and public participation) being achieved, and being achieved efficiently?
The analysis focuses on the functioning of the book price as such, as well as comparing it with a number of possible alternatives. The conclusion is that the existing fixed book price is not the most efficient policy instrument, but that a selection from the alternatives can only be made once the cultural policy priorities have been defined more precisely.

This evaluation study was carried out jointly by the Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (CPB) and the Netherlands Institute for Social Research/SCP at the request of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.