Cultural Policy In The Nordic Welfare States Aims And Functions Of Public Funding For Culture PDF Download

This thesis aims to identify and investigate contemporary art organizations in the context of the changing Swedish welfare state. Sweden has been internationally recognized as having one of the most expansive and evolved welfare systems in Europe: however, the past thirty years have evidenced a substantial restructuring and partial dismantling of Sweden's archetypal welfare state. The traditional Swedish model for cultural policy has not only changed significantly in the past few decades, it has also been the subject of heated debate. For some, exclusively public funding for culture is the ideal, but this is only possible in conditions of relative prosperity. At the height of the welfare state, cultural policy was considered to be integral to the public sphere and many national Swedish organizations were built specifically for this system. Cultural policy in Sweden had initially been developed to be a significant part of the nation-state's attempt to define national identity, among both its citizens and international audience; its role today seems more complicated as the legitimacy of the state's role in framing the arts organizations has been challenged. Artists and arts organizations have since had to look in new places for funding; the model of exclusively public funding is now shifting towards a model that also includes private and corporate support. Today, the desire for culture to contribute significantly to Swedish national identity seems to be at odds with the state's growing desire and obligation to engage in international conversations. The current condition marks a noteworthy and complex shift for Swedish cultural policy. The newfound emphasis on the prospect of individual and corporate donors has led to a new crop of art spaces that focus on more commercial endeavors. In examining how contemporary arts organizations in Sweden manifest these political and economic shifts, I study how initiatives that advocate for an expanded economic role for culture both coincide and conflict with the former paradigm found in the welfare state model. It is these efforts that are investigated in this thesis; how can these organizations remain in line with the original welfare state goals, while bolstering their international presence in both the institutional sphere and the art market.