GOVERNMENTS AND CULTURE

Clive Gray,University of Warwick,

United KingdomC.J.Gray@Warwick.ac.uk

Motivations for Government Action: I

1. National Glory2. Inducement and Reward3. Placebo4. Education5. Welfare Service6. Compensation7. Commercial8. Order and Control

Motivations for Government Action: II

9. Ideological10. Moral11. Social12. Political13. Common Sense14. Faith15. ‘Cultural’

Functions of Policy

1. Intrinsic – ‘art’ based reasons2. Instrumental – using culture for non-cultural

ends3. Attachment – linking culture to sources of

support4. Explicit – directly affecting cultural

production/distribution/consumption5. Implicit – cultural consequences of other

policy aims

Multi-functional Policy

• ‘Architecture had a variety of purposes – self-gratification, self-glorification, social indoctrination and nationalistic self-assertion’ (F. Spotts, Hitler and the Power of Aesthetics (London, Hutchison, 2002), 311)

The Role of Government: a

• Providing mechanisms for cultural choice?• Directly providing culture?• Supporting cultural production?• Supporting cultural distribution?• Supporting cultural consumption?

How Can Governments Do These?: I

• Democratic means:1. Plebiscitary democracy – referenda2. Representative democracy – governments

and parliaments3. Democratic elitism – arm’s-length

organisations4. Deliberative democracy – value clarification

How Can Governments Do These?: II

• All depend upon:1. Active participation2. Effective and independent civil society3. Political literacy4. Education5. Legitimacy6. Trust

The Role of Government: b

1. Support all of the above

Active or Passive Government?

• Representative democracy expects governments to have their own objectives

• And that these should be openly pursued• But they should also be subject to open

criticism• Passive government is seen as stagnant

government

Explicitly Active Governments: I

1. Problematic cases:• Nazi Germany/Stalinist Soviet Union• Did they have lasting effects?• Not really2. Acceptable cases:• France/United Kingdom/Australia/Canada• Did they have lasting effects?• Some – but limited by political acceptability

Explicitly Active Governments: II

• Cultural imposition does not work• Top-down policies require bottom-up support• Bottom-up policies require top-down support• What role should governments pursue:1. Top-down?2. Bottom-up?3. Both?