My previous post was here. A lot of writing today, so this entry a bit longer and in the weeds than usual... In economic analysis, of arts funding or anything else, people's preferences are assumed to be “rational”, which here has the narrow definition of consistency (If I prefer the blue tie to the red tie, and prefer the red tie to the green tie, rationality means I must therefore prefer the blue tie to the green tie, but not much else), and does not question the ends for what the consumer buys. Economics also works on the assumption that … [Read more...]

In the field of cultural affairs I often come across papers that use the word "neoliberalism", virtually always describing a bad thing, but with its precise meaning pretty vague - even when I ask as a friendly question what the presenters mean they are not quite sure. In arts policy, it is often applied to criticism of cuts in funding, though neoliberalism doesn't seem to apply to all cuts in public budgets - you don't typically see someone calling for cuts to the defense budget referred to as neoliberal. So here I'm going to take a stab at … [Read more...]

I am writing a book about The Moral Foundations of Public Funding for the Arts. My first diary entries are here and here. How did I come to be writing on this topic? Let's go way back... In high school I was one of the band room kids: French horn in band, bass in jazz band, chamber choir, musical theatre, rock and roll on the side, and the minimal amount of academic subjects I could get away with. My music teacher, Mr Burritt, remains the most influential teacher in my life. And with that, I applied to the university music school, in the … [Read more...]

'I think there can't be too many pictures and statues and works of art,' Hyacinth broke out. 'The more the better, whether people are hungry or not.' Henry James, The Princess Casamassima This week (and the next few weeks) I have been wrestling with the topic of perfectionism in moral theory. It has very important implications for how one might justify public funding for the arts, and might deal a heavy blow against such funding. Let's start with how economists look at the world (yes, typical of an economist to do this). When … [Read more...]

I am writing a book, on the "moral foundations of public funding for the arts". It will eventually appear in the series New Directions in Cultural Policy Research, hopefully some time in 2023. But first I have to write it. This diary will chart my progress through the year, and I will always welcome your comments and suggestions. So what is it about? Take as an example a major American orchestra. Each year, it might get $40,000 or so from the National Endowment for the Arts, around $500,000 from its state arts council, and perhaps … [Read more...]

New York City has announced a new (well, sort of) arts program. Hyperallergic reports: The City of New York will put some artists to work this summer with a $25 million program inspired by the New Deal’s Works Progress Administration (WPA). Announced yesterday, May 6, the recovery program will pay hundreds of local artists to beautify and activate public spaces across the city with murals, public artworks, performances, and more.The new program, called City Artist Corps, is expected to create jobs for more than 1,500 artists in NYC, a … [Read more...]

The amazing students in our Arts Administration program at the O'Neill School at Indiana University have requested an ask-me-anything day, and so here it is. Through the day you can continue to ask questions either in the comments section here, or on Twitter, and I'll do my best. 2:30 pm What is the most valuable lesson you've learned as a parent? I'll give a list: Be as good as you can, know you will never be perfect; let children explore; recognize when you have done wrong, apologize for it, but don't dwell on it, look forward and be … [Read more...]

Out in the woods for today's video, on Charles Lindblom's classic essay "The science of 'muddling through'". When an arts organization sets out to form a strategic plan, what exactly is it doing? Is a so-called 'logic model', that carefully sets out desired outcomes, and then works backwards through the most effective outputs and actions, the way we actually conceive of the problem? Or in fact is what we do in practice much more modest, taking existing activities as more-or-less given, and looking to a few changes at the margin that ought to be … [Read more...]

At Bloomberg, Tyler Cowen has a short post on some unintended consequences of a wealth tax. It's an idea being talked about in the Democratic candidate debates. In the US we do have a few wealth taxes already: local property taxes, and, for the very, very wealthy, estate taxes. But a stand-alone wealth tax would be something new. Cowen has an unusual take. When the estate tax comes up for debate, whether to increase its rate and lower its threshold, or, on the other side, to eliminate it entirely, one of the issues that comes up is the … [Read more...]

What are the keys to success in the art world? Some combination of hard work, smart early career choices, artistic talent, access to the connected and the gate-keepers, and a bit of serendipity. The same could be said of many professions. But it's very hard to discern the relative importance of these ingredients. Research finds that those who have attained the greatest successes in creative fields tend to be more likely to think that merit is what got them there (in this they are not much different from the successful in other arenas), while … [Read more...]