Government funding of the Arts

A piece for the Institute of Policy Studies eNewsletter

“When public money is used to support the arts, it is often justified on the grounds that the arts, because it is one of the most direct expressions of a society, plays an important role as it enables that society to learn about itself. Since it is a public good and the free market does not consistently encourage its practice, government funding is necessary to sustain it.

While this is plausible in theory, its practice is fraught. Although national grant giving institutions give in the name of the citizens whose taxes support the funds, there are times when the criteria used to decide who to support are not as diversified as the constituents. There are several reasons for this…..” Read more