Joke economics: the low profile of comedy in the economics of arts and culture

Despite being a globally significant form of art and culture, the performance of comedy has seemingly maintained a very low profile in cultural economics. The case for greater research scrutiny of this art form is advanced alongside some possible reasons for the relatively low academic attention devoted to comedy. The scope for considering comedy in economic terms is also considered, and a range of research questions are raised to stimulate debate and further enquiry on the topic.