The Patron State

This is the first comprehensive look at government policy in relation to the arts around the world that has been attempted in 20 years. The editors have commissioned articles from specialists in 13 different countries - Canada, Denmark, West Germany, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. They have themselves provided a broad overview of the subject and a concluding essay that discusses the major findings, patterns and issues concerning public policy for the arts that have emerged from the 13 countries studied. Each individual chapter discusses the arguments, pro and con, used in government support of the arts in each country, the forms and levels of support, the organisation structure of arts support programmes, the policy choices made and the patterns of distribution of public funds, an evaluation of the impact that government programmes have had on the arts and the effect of budget cutbacks,which have occurred in virtually every country since the mid-1970s.