DEFINING CULTURE
CULTURAL POLICY
Daria Kuchařová
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Content
I. Definition of culture
II. Definition of cultural economics
III. Economic characteristics of cultural
goods
IV. Cultural policy
V. Cultural policy in the Czech Republic
 Students’ presentations – who and when?
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Definitions
 What is culture?
 What is art?
 Difference?
◦ Group discussion
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I. DEFINITION OF
CULTURE
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Definition of culture
 Definition – long time discussions about
this topic
 An international debate centered in
UNESCO (United Nations Educational,
Scientific, and Cultural Organization)
since 1960s
 Synonym for the performing and visual
arts
 Culture was a bulwark against mass
society
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Definition of culture (cont.)
 Narrow definition – specific cultural
goods and services
 Wide definition – all, what make people
different from other animals
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Definition of culture (cont.)
 the arts and other manifestations of
human intellectual achievement regarded
collectively (Oxford dictionary)
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Definition of culture (cont.)
 Three key characteristics of culture and
cultural activities (Throsby, 2001):
◦ “…the activities concerned involve some
form of creativity in their production…”,
◦ “…concerned with the generation and
communication of symbolic meaning…”,
◦ “…their output embodies, at least potentially,
some form of intellectual property”
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High culture vs. low culture
 High culture = visual and performing arts,
heritage
 Low culture = cultural/creative industries,
mainstream
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Definition of arts
 the expression or application of human
creative skill and imagination, typically in a
visual form such as painting or sculpture,
producing works to be appreciated
primarily for their beauty or emotional
power (Oxford dictionary)
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Definition of arts (cont.)
 Art is a behavior which involves:
(Anderson, 2000)
◦ human creation,
◦ created through the exercise of exceptional
skills,
◦ produced in a public medium,
◦ intended to affect the senses, and
◦ seen to share stylistic conventions with other
works from the same time and place.
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II. DEFINITION OF
CULTURAL
ECONOMICS
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Cultural Economics
 “Economics of the arts” vs.
“Cultural economics”
 “Economics of the arts” more specific and
narrow than the subject matter included
in cultural economics
 “Cultural economics” covers the creative
and performing arts and heritage, as well
as the cultural industries.
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Cultural economics (cont.)
 Cultural economics is the application
of economics to the production,
distribution and consumption of all
cultural goods and services.
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III. CULTURAL GOODS
AND SERVICES
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Cultural goods and services
 Name cultural goods and services you
know.
◦ Group discussion
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Cultural goods and services (cont.)
 Ballet
 Opera
 Orchestras
 Heritage
 Museums
 Publishing
 Cinema
 Television
 Broadcasting
 Music
 Visual arts(architecture, design, crafts, etc.)
 Festivals
 …
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Cultural goods and services
 Contain creative or artistic element
 Tangible (goods) vs. Intangible (services)
◦ Examples?
 Immovable vs. movable
◦ Examples?
 Durable vs. Exist in particular time span
◦ Examples?
 Final (supplied to consumers) vs. Intermediate
(involved in production of other cultural products or
non-cultural output)
◦ Examples?
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Cultural goods and services (cont.)
 Have cultural goods any common
elements with all other goods and
services?
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Cultural goods and services (cont.)
 Yes
◦ Their production utilizes resources of land,
labour and capital and other inputs, particularly
human ingenuity.
◦ These resources may have other uses, so have an
opportunity cost and a price.
 No
◦ They are not all sold on the market, though many
are, as are the labour services of artists and other
creative workers.
◦ Some are supplied by the government and may be
provided free of charge, being financed out of
taxes.
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Cultural goods and services (cont.)
 Can the allocation of recources via the
price mechanism produce the socialy
desirabel output of cultural goods and
services?
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Cultural goods and services (cont.)
 No
 Have an element of public goods
characteristrics in them that markets cannot
fully take into account through prices:
◦ Positive externality = Degree of “publicness”
(non-excludability)
◦ Consumer demand doesn’t reflect full value of
the goods
◦ Supply can’t provide publicly needed volume and
structure of cultural goods and services
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IV. CULTURAL POLICY
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Cultural policy
 Priorities of the state regarding culture,
general idea of the government’s role in
culture
 Production and supply side
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Cultural policy (cont.)
 Before – concerned only “high culture”
 Now – broadened out, includes also
cultural industries, crafts, etc.
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Cultural policy (cont.)
 The EU:
◦ Supranational (authoritative governance institutions and
policy-making activities above member states)
◦ Intergovernment prespective (bargaining processes
among member states)
◦ Confederal consociational perspective (protect own
vital interests by consensus and achieve a certain unity of goals
and solve common issues)
 National (financing):
◦ central,
◦ regional
◦ local government
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Cultural policy (cont.)
 Ownership and cultural policy:
 State-owned – owned and/or managed by civil
servants (in some countries), revenues and
costs absorbed by local authority (heritage)
 Publicly owned organizations – mimic
market forces (shops in museums)
 Private organizations – controlled by
financial (subsidy) and legal means (including
restrictions, prescriptions)
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Hillman-Chartrand model
 Facilitator – Tax reduces for donators
(USA)
 Patron – Art Councils (UK)
 Architect – Ministry of culture (CZ,
France)
 Engineer of the arts – State is owner and
decisionmaker (China)
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Cultural policy (cont.)
 Economic dimensions of cultural
policy:
 Intervention in cultural markets
 Depends upon financial incentives and
regulatory measures
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V. CULTURAL POLICY
INTHE CZECH
REPUBLIC
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Cultural policy in the Czech
Republic
 Till 1989
◦ State monopoly in culture
◦ Political and ideological importance of culture
◦ No motivation for efficient functioning of state
organizations
 After 1989
◦ Decrease in efficiency and collapsing of some cultural
institutions due to inability to adapt to new economic
situation
◦ Increased prices and lack of resources on
maintenance and reconstruction
◦ Result – denationalization, privatization,
transformation and dissolving of cultural organizations
and spontaneous development of new infrastructure
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Cultural policy in the Czech
Republic (cont.)
 Cultural Policy 2009-2014:
◦ “the Czech Republic wants to become a
cultural crossroad, it wants to utilize its
natural position in a free, open and creative
way in the creation of its own culture, in the
preservation of cultural heritage and its
application in every realm of social life.”
(Czech Ministry of culture, 2009)
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Cultural policy in the Czech
Republic (cont.)
 Tasks of the state:
◦ to create optimal relations between culture
and other realms of life of society,
◦ develop creative opportunities in the
economy, research and education, motivate
donors,
◦ provide sufficient resources to strengthen the
competitiveness of the state in a global
environment.
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Cultural policy in the Czech
Republic (cont.)
 Objectives:
1. Use the benefits of the arts and cultural
heritage and associated creativity to increase
competitive strength in other areas and
activities,
2. Emphasize the role of culture in individual
professional and personal development of
citizens,
3. Provide direct and indirect support to maintain
existing cultural values and create new values
as well,
4. Create a transparent and non-discriminating
environment for cultural activities
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Cultural policy in the Czech
Republic (cont.)
 Cultural policy 2015-2020???
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Cultural policy
 Cultural policy in your country?
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Sources:
 A handbook of cultural economics. Edited by RuthTowse. Cheltenham:
Edward Elgar, 2003.
 Simona Škarabelová et al. Ekonomika kultury a masmédií. Brno:
Masaryk University, 2007
 Michelle Reeves. Measuring the economic and social impact of the arts:
a review. London:Arts Council of Egland, 2002
 National Cultural Policy Czech Republic 2009-2014. Ministry of
Culture, Prague, 2009
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THANKYOU FOR
ATTENTION!
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