Culture in a Cold Climate

Culture has been seen in Britain as a national institution worthy of public expenditure since the nineteenth century, but recent cutbacks in British government spending on the arts have forced the British to reexamine the place of culture in their society. The government wants the arts to raise income from private companies and individuals, but it has not provided any tax incentives for such private support. Private support of the arts in Britain poses several problems. It would blur what has been a clear distinction in the English establishment's mind between the public world of service to the community and the private world of commercial gain; and it tends to encourage popular or traditional arts ventures over innovative ones. In general, British politicians fear the economics of the arts because of its left-wing political potential. The author's parliamentary committee advocates the establishment of a ministry of culture, with national companies obtaining funds directly from the ministry, and with regional arts organizations taking responsibility for the remaining 60 percent of public cultural funding.