Cultural Policy - Term Paper Example

 Contemporary Challenges Facing Cultural Policy Making By [Name] Course Professor’s Name Institution Location of Institution Date Contemporary Challenges Facing Cultural Policy-Making Introduction According to different scholars, culture is a very dynamic term with complicated definition. The word Culture is among the terms in English language that has a relative implication depending with the subject involved. Culture entails cultivation of aesthetic and intellectual sensibilities of an individual. This is why most scholars have documented that the bigger part of the culture involves the mind. It is what the mind perceives as the expected values or principles that governance the social environment of an individual. Due to the relative nature of culture, cultural policy makers experience various challenges when creating the policies. The contemporary society has diverse cultural implications which increase the complexity for the cultural policy to come up with principles that guides the culture of a social entity. This paper intends to cover some of the contemporary challenges in cultural policy-making 1. Cultural Policy Cultural policy involves the principle or values that guide any social entity with matters that concern cultural affairs (Mulcahy 2006,p.319). Different scholars have come up with different definition of cultural policy. Simon Mundy define cultural policy are guidelines put in place by the government in order to guide national image and posterity. Cultural policy can also be defined as a set of cultural practices that are subject to domains of different policies put in place by the government or a recognized body ( Storey 1998,p.202). The government is the main body that creates the cultural policy of a country. In most counties , there are specific ministries that are tasked with the work of ensuring that the countries cultural policy are well stipulated and the citizens are able to identify with the policies. In most cases, such ministries involve the ministries of cultural and national affairs. However different counties have different names for the body that is in charge of cultural affairs of the country. 1.1. Limitation to the scope of cultural polices One of the major limitations to the discipline of cultural policies involves the intangible aspects that should be covered in order to include all the aspects of cultural police. According to different scholars, the approaches to the study of cultural policies are attached to the different disciplines. This makes the study of cultural policies to fail to adequately differentiate between the cultural policies and the disciplines attached to it. The difference is brought about by the existence of epistemological, methodological and ontological levels between the disciplines and what the scope of cultural policy should cover (Peters and Pierre 2006, p.20). 1.2. Significance of cultural policies According to the study done by different scholars on the significance of cultural policies, most citizen do not find it very significant to have a unified cultural policy that a country can be identifies with. This is because the citizens think that cultural policies are more of national values that are passed down from one generation to the next. According to various studies carried out by different scholars, citizens think that cultural policies involve the unwritten rules that govern a country without the citizens consciously thinking about it. This can include the art and theatre, food, among others. According to most scholars, the main reason for making cultural policies includes the need to champion and defined the aspects of a country’s culture. This assist the country to gain recognition in the international world (Policy 1969, p.20). Secondly, apart from the culture being viewed as having a public value, the government also generates good amount of revenue from the industry of art and theatre. It is therefore important to have concrete cultural policies that make such industry grow (Jowell 2005, p.17). To add on this, cultural aspect such as art and theatre is a source of employment to many citizens of a country. Therefore, it is important for the government to have well documented policies that can uplift these industries in order to improve the living standards of the citizens (Myerscough 1988,p.12). 1.3. History of cultural policy It is important to note that before the 12th century, art was basically known to be an aspect of culture which was identified by the church, aristocrat and the wealthy merchants. In the 19th century, the work of art becomes famous through which different artist used their artistic talents to earn income. This led to the privatization of the art work. The western government such as United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand were the first government in history to support art through giving of grants to broaden the art work (Miller and Yúdice 2002,p.10). The initiative was meant to broaden the art work and make it accessible to its citizens. Later on, different government supported the art work through creation of museums, national theatre among others. These promoted a sense of national prestige. 2. Various aspects of cultural policies There are various aspects of cultural policies. These include the economic, social and national aspects. The national aspect of cultural policies involves the promotion and development of a country culture with the end goal of creating a sustainable socio-economic culture. On the other hand, economic aspects of cultural policies entail the role of culture such as art and theatre r in driving economic goals of a country. The social aspects of cultural policies mainly entails the role of the cultural polices in promoting a countries cultural heritage to the current and the future generation (Heilbrun, Gray and Charles,2001,p.21) 2.1. National aspect of cultural policies National aspects of national policies mainly involve guidelines meant for preservation of a country culture with the main goal of ensuring that the citizens of a country are able to have a unique cultural identity. The main roles of national aspects of cultural policies include protection of identity and cultural heritage both internally and at a global level. Secondly, national aspects of cultural play a big role in economic vitalization. Lastly, national aspects of cultural policies are tailored to promote patriotism and democratization of a country’s culture. 2.1.1. Role of national aspects of cultural policies in protection of cultural identity and heritage Every country has unique cultural characteristics that can be singled out. For example, Istanbul is known as a home for theatre. People travel from different parts of the world to see Istanbul (Sanul and van Heur 2016) People cannot think about the Turkey without thinking about Istanbul. This is an example of cultural identity. Cultural identity assists in promoting cultural heritage and it also acts as a sense of national prestige. 2.1.2. Role of national aspects of cultural policies in Economic vitalization Economic vitalization involves the act of bringing life to economic activities. National aspects of cultural policies play a big role in making the economic activities of country to be vibrant. National aspects of cultural policies promotes cultural heritage that attract tourist. Many tourist travels all over the world to see and experience the cultures of different counties. This earns the country a source of foreign revenue. In additional to this, the preserved tourist attraction such as art and theatre are s source of employment to many citizens of the county. This contributes greatly in improving the standards of living of the citizens. 2.1.3. Role of national aspects of cultural policies in promoting patriotism and democratization of a country’s culture National aspects of cultural policies guidelines stipulate the strategies that can be put in place by the government to ensure that the citizens of a country feel proud to be associated with their country. This is done through different cultural inclusion activities that can make the citizens appreciate their leaders and love their country (Vestheim 2012, p.494). Some countries are known to celebrate importance heroes and heroines who have contributed greatly to the welfare of the countries. Some countries are known to have cultural days whereby different cultures are showcased at national levels. Such activities contribute greatly in increasing the level of patriotism among the citizens. 2.2. Social aspects of cultural policies Social aspects of cultural policies involve the guidelines that determine the values of a country. There are some countries whose citizens are known to be hospitable. The inbuilt cultural policies guide the citizens’ conducts and unify them towards common values that are considered acceptable. The values are passed from one generation to the next. In addition to this, the social aspects of cultural policies assist in promoting welfare for culture rights, cultural education and equal rights for all citizens to enjoy and support the product of culture such as art. 2.2.1. Role of social aspects of cultural policies in promoting welfare for cultural rights Social aspects of cultural policies are important in stipulating guidelines that can be followed in order for a country to achieve equality of cultural rights (Baltà and Dragićevic 2017,p.156) According to different scholars, art and culture have been known to contribute greatly to social exclusion through portraying certain aspects of a particular culture as either inferior or superior to another culture. Therefore, cultural policies play an important role in ensuring that the citizens of a country have equal rights to express their culture without feeling that their culture is being undermined (Wang 2014,p.18) 2.2.2. Role of social aspects of cultural policies in education Cultural policies guidelines play a big role in devising education policies that can help educate the country on the origin of its values. This greatly contributes to national awareness which prevents complexities of relationship due to matters that revolve around culture (Bourdieu 1989,p.16). In addition to this, the various aspects of culture that are incorporated in educational disciplines such as economic, sociology and philosophy contribute greatly in defining social relations. 2.2.3. Role of social aspects of cultural policies in promoting art work and talents Social aspects of cultural policies provide guidelines that assist the government to promote art and theatre among the different cultural activities. In addition to this, the government is able to discover and promote young talents through provision of resources. The cultural policies enable the government to set aside the required resources to be used in promoting art, and theatre industries among other cultural related activities. 3. Challenge facing formulation and implementation of cultural policies There are various contemporary factors that affect the formulation and implementation of cultural policies. The challenges range from technological changes, to lack support from different stakeholders due to religious and other ethical factors. The main contemporary challenges facing formulation and implementation of cultural polices include: lack of enough funding, lack of efficient strategic planning, technological changes which have affected public values, and lastly lack of cooperative practices between the different stakeholders. 3.1. Lack of proper funding set aside for formulation, and implementation of cultural policies The amount of resources set aside for formulation and implementation of cultural policies is too small to aid in innovative programs that can results in cultural development activities. Therefore, the public institution in charge of the cultural policies is forced to source for external finding to enable it meets its objective. Secondly, lack of emergency or planned interventions affects the implementation of cultural policies to a large extent. There are no major public resources placed aside to aid in implementation and development of cultural policies. Most countries do not consider cultural growth and development as important aspects that should be included in their expenditure. 3.2. Lack of long term strategic planning in implementation of cultural policies Most counties, government, and institutions do not have annual planed activities or future strategic plans that are meant towards the promotion of cultural systems. This greatly affect cultural policies formulation and implementation since there are no clear objectives attached to the outcome of the policies formulated. This contributes to the formulated policies remaining on paper. In addition to this, some of the implemented policies are not completed because of lack of clear supervisions and ownership on the side of different stakeholders. Lack of long term strategic plans affects sustainability of the formulated cultural policies 3.3. Lack of cooperative practices among the different stakeholders Formulation and implementation of cultural policies faces the problem of lack of cooperation among the different stakeholders. Lack of cooperation among the public cultural participants hinders implementation of cultural policies. In addition to this, lack of cooperation between culture and other sectors such as education, economy and tourism hinders cultural policy formulation. For example, the young children in school are not exposed to cultural programs. They are not given an opportunity to attend cultural institutions in order for them to enrich themselves. In most countries, there are few schools teaching cultural programs such as art. There are few institutions majoring in research and development that can promote cultural programs. 3.4. Improvement in technology and innovation Formulation and implementation of cultural policies faces the challenges of lack of appreciation which has been greatly attributed to the improvement in innovation and technology. With the advent of technology, the modern societies consider cultural values, practices and activities as a backward trend. On the other hand, there have not much research and innovation done to improve the culture systems to cope up with evolution of the society. The society has evolved with time while the cultural system is still in the form of the ancient of days. This has greatly affected the attitude of the young people towards cultural systems which has greatly affected formulation and implementation of cultural policies. Even though there have been few technological advancement in the field of art, music and theatre, the young people still considers the programs to lack the modernity characterized with the modern world. This greatly affects implementation of cultural policies because of lack of reception. The modern society believes in education and acquisition of white collar jobs. Talents are not much encouraged. This makes the young generation to give education a priority at the expense of their talents. 3.5. Conflictive ideologies between cultural and religious values Formulation of cultural policies and implementations faces the challenges of conflictive ideologies between cultural and religious values. Most religious ideologies preach against secular music and theatre. This has affected the implementation of cultural policies because of lack of support from the religious stakeholders who have bigger say in the society. The formulation and implementation of cultural policies faces the dilemma of encouraging cultural development and upholding the religious values. 4. Case study of United Kingdom : Contemporary challenge in cultural Policy The main contemporary challenge facing formulation and implementation of cultural policies in United Kingdom include the question as to whether the government should set aside funds to promote the department of culture, media and sport. Previously, the responsibility of promoting the cultural system was delegated to the Scottish parliament and Welsh assembly. During this time, much cultural development was given a priority. There was growth in the creativity industry among other cultural programs. However, the contemporary United Kingdom is facing the question of packaging the value of culture to fit the decision principles of the central government. Some of the biggest question that arise concerning the cultural policies challenges facing contemporary United Kingdom include the question as to whether the government should intervene in the arts so that everyone can enjoy it equally. The second question involves how the government should evaluate public value so that it can support art. 4.1. Should the government intervene in art so that everyone can enjoy it The government of United Kingdom finds it necessary to intervene in culture so that everyone can enjoy it. However, there have been some difficulties in aligning the value of culture based on economic valuation techniques. For example, the government can set resources aside to promote culture and sports if the cultural policies have strong backing points on how the government will derive economic value from the implementation of the cultural policies. The report created by Dr. Dave O'Brian 2010 required a deep dive into the how the value of culture can be measured. Consequently, there have been various reinforcements and changes which have reduced the budget for art. 4.1.1. Budget for arts from Government: Current situation of budget cutting for the arts in UK In the years 2010 and 2011, the department of culture and sports in England experienced a series of budget cut down. This greatly affected the implementation of cultural policies goals that were previously out in place. By March 2011, the art Council of England was asked to reduce its budget by 6.4 billion. The Libraries and Archives council was asked to make an administrative cut down of 25%. In addition to this, the overall grant that is meant to be channeled toward implementation of cultural policies was reduced by 3%. In an effort to cut down on general public expenditure, the government opted to abolish several cultural programs founded by the department of culture 4.1.2. Interventions between the regulatory body and provision The government financial regulatory body of England is highly cantered towards lowering expenditure on administrative and funding for various departments. However, according to different scholars, the art and cultural has had the biggest share of the cut. This brings the question of how important are the priorities of government with respect to implementation of cultural policies. On the positive side, there are various national campaigns being launched to save the art industry. Such campaigns include the A Manifesto for the Arts 4.2. Should the government evaluate the public value to support the art? The concern that has affected the art and culture in general in the United Kingdom includes the meaning of the culture as a property of the public. It is not clear to various policy makers the benefit that is derived from culture as a public good. The biggest question that arises when art is classified as a good with public value includes who consumes it and who should pay for it (Lee, Oakley, and Naylor 2011, p.289). Unlike private goods with profit maximization interest, public goods are meat to promote the interest of everyone. Therefore, the government needs to realign the economic significance of art as a public good in order to support the implementation of cultural policies.The government can promote the development of art through the use of innovations and technology in order to lower the cost (Bowen 2012,p.12). In addition to this, support of culture as a public good will ensure that the government puts in place various strategies to support both popular and less popular cultures. Conclusion In conclusion, it is important to note that the main contemporary challenges affecting cultural policies include the conceptual ambiguity and operational difficulties. Various stake holders find it challenging to prioritize implementation of cultural policies because it lacks economic value. The public value aspects of culture make it difficult for the private stakeholders to fully find enough economic value that can contribute to sustainability of cultural activities. References Mulcahy, K.V., 2006. Cultural policy: Definitions and theoretical approaches. The journal of arts management, law, and society, 35(4), pp.319-330. Policy, C., 1969. A Preliminary Study. Paris: Imprimerie Blanchard, pp.1-20. Jowell, T., 2005. Why should government support the arts?. engage Review, 17. Myerscough, J., 1988. The economic importance of the arts in Britain. Policy Studies Institute. Miller, T. and Yúdice, G., 2002. Cultural policy. Sage. Mundy, S., 2000. Cultural policy: A short guide. Council of Europe. Storey, J., 1998. An introduction to cultural theory and popular culture. Peters, B.G. and Pierre, J. eds., 2006. Handbook of public policy. Sage. Heilbrun, J., Gray, C.M. and Charles, M., 2001. The economics of art and culture. Cambridge University Press. Bourdieu, P., 1989. Social space and symbolic power. Sociological theory, 7(1), pp.14-25. Bowen, W.G., 2012. The ‘cost disease’in higher education: is technology the answer?. The Tanner Lectures Stanford University. Lee, D.J., Oakley, K. and Naylor, R., 2011. ‘The public gets what the public wants’? The uses and abuses of ‘public value’in contemporary British cultural policy. International Journal of Cultural Policy, 17(3), pp.289-300. Baltà Portolés, J. and Dragićevic Šešić, M., 2017. Cultural rights and their contribution to sustainable development: implications for cultural policy. International Journal of Cultural Policy, 23(2), pp.159-173. Vestheim, G., 2012. Cultural policy and democracy: an introduction. International journal of cultural policy, 18(5), pp.493-504. Wang, L.J., 2014. Cultural rights and citizenship in cultural policy: Taiwan and China. International Journal of Cultural Policy, 20(1), pp.21-39. Sanul, G. and van Heur, B., 2016. The invisible city of alternative theatre: tactics, collective actions and micro-publics in Istanbul's cultural economy. Law, Social Justice and Global Development Journal, 20. Read More

Later on, different government supported the art work through creation of museums, national theatre among others. These promoted a sense of national prestige. 2. Various aspects of cultural policies There are various aspects of cultural policies. These include the economic, social and national aspects. The national aspect of cultural policies involves the promotion and development of a country culture with the end goal of creating a sustainable socio-economic culture. On the other hand, economic aspects of cultural policies entail the role of culture such as art and theatre r in driving economic goals of a country.

The social aspects of cultural policies mainly entails the role of the cultural polices in promoting a countries cultural heritage to the current and the future generation (Heilbrun, Gray and Charles,2001,p.21) 2.1. National aspect of cultural policies National aspects of national policies mainly involve guidelines meant for preservation of a country culture with the main goal of ensuring that the citizens of a country are able to have a unique cultural identity. The main roles of national aspects of cultural policies include protection of identity and cultural heritage both internally and at a global level.

Secondly, national aspects of cultural play a big role in economic vitalization. Lastly, national aspects of cultural policies are tailored to promote patriotism and democratization of a country’s culture. 2.1.1. Role of national aspects of cultural policies in protection of cultural identity and heritage Every country has unique cultural characteristics that can be singled out. For example, Istanbul is known as a home for theatre. People travel from different parts of the world to see Istanbul (Sanul and van Heur 2016) People cannot think about the Turkey without thinking about Istanbul.

This is an example of cultural identity. Cultural identity assists in promoting cultural heritage and it also acts as a sense of national prestige. 2.1.2. Role of national aspects of cultural policies in Economic vitalization Economic vitalization involves the act of bringing life to economic activities. National aspects of cultural policies play a big role in making the economic activities of country to be vibrant. National aspects of cultural policies promotes cultural heritage that attract tourist.

Many tourist travels all over the world to see and experience the cultures of different counties. This earns the country a source of foreign revenue. In additional to this, the preserved tourist attraction such as art and theatre are s source of employment to many citizens of the county. This contributes greatly in improving the standards of living of the citizens. 2.1.3. Role of national aspects of cultural policies in promoting patriotism and democratization of a country’s culture National aspects of cultural policies guidelines stipulate the strategies that can be put in place by the government to ensure that the citizens of a country feel proud to be associated with their country.

This is done through different cultural inclusion activities that can make the citizens appreciate their leaders and love their country (Vestheim 2012, p.494). Some countries are known to celebrate importance heroes and heroines who have contributed greatly to the welfare of the countries. Some countries are known to have cultural days whereby different cultures are showcased at national levels. Such activities contribute greatly in increasing the level of patriotism among the citizens. 2.2.

Social aspects of cultural policies Social aspects of cultural policies involve the guidelines that determine the values of a country. There are some countries whose citizens are known to be hospitable. The inbuilt cultural policies guide the citizens’ conducts and unify them towards common values that are considered acceptable. The values are passed from one generation to the next. In addition to this, the social aspects of cultural policies assist in promoting welfare for culture rights, cultural education and equal rights for all citizens to enjoy and support the product of culture such as art. 2.2.1.

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