by Nicolas Lagios, Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan & MSH's invited professor

Literary prizes have become a ubiquitous feature of contemporary cultural life, shaping how books are discovered, evaluated, and consumed. From internationally renowned awards such as the Nobel Prize in Literature to the many national and genre-specific awards, literary prizes not only signal artistic merit but also influence publishing markets, media attention, and reader behavior. Their growing prominence therefore raises important economic, literary, and sociological questions.

In this lecture, I will provide some insights to answer these questions by drawing on the economic literature on literary prizes and on two studies I conducted with Pierre-Guillaume Méon, one focusing on the Prix Goncourt and the other on the Booker Prize. I will first present the main statistical challenge that arises when estimating the economic effect of prizes and explain how it can be addressed. I will then quantify the effect of prizes on sales and discuss the mechanisms that make readers more likely to purchase an awarded book. Finally, I will present the unexpected effects of prizes on reader well-being.

Nicolas Lagios is a professor of economics at Nazarbayev University in Astana, Kazakhstan. He specializes in cultural economics and applied microeconomics. He has studied the effect of literary prizes on sales and readership. His work includes a study on the impact of the Goncourt Prize on book sales and on reader evaluations posted on online platforms, as well as another study on the Booker Prize.

Tuesday 9th December 2025, from 2pm until 4pm

Salle de réception
ULB - Bâtiment DE1 - Niveau 3 - Salle R.3.105
Avenue Antoine Depage 1
1000 Bruxelles

Free entrance

Contact : p-guillaume.meon@ulb.be, elizaveta.berquin@ulb.be