Culture for and by everyone?

Recently, Dialogic and Significant APE completed the policy evaluation on cultural participation. The report titled "Culture of and for Everyone" has since been presented to the Second Chamber by the State Secretary of Education, Culture, and Science (OCW). The Minister of OCW is responsible for creating conditions to maintain, develop, and socially and geographically distribute cultural expressions. Considerations of quality and diversity are paramount. This complements cultural offerings that arise without government involvement. A key aspect of cultural policy is promoting cultural participation. This policy evaluation covers the period from 2001 to 2020 and focuses on the cultural participation component of cultural policy.

We identify the following three strengths of the national government's cultural (participation) policy tools:

1. The policy tools are comprehensive, covering almost all aspects of cultural (participation) policy, and have remained stable over the years;
2. The Dutch cultural system (of which the Cultural Basic Infrastructure (BIS) is a key component) is characterised by a high level of transparency with limited political interference;
3. Emphasis is placed on (artistic) quality.

We identify the following three weaknesses:

1. The policy tools predominantly consist of indirect instruments targeting supply, with few instruments directly aimed at cultural participation;
2. There is limited innovation and diversification due to an establishment bias (subsidies often go to established cultural institutions) and performance indicators;
3. Many strides need to be made to ensure inclusivity, diversity, and accessibility.

Interested in learning more about this research? Please contact Frank Bongers.