Culture, Economy And Politics: The Case Of New Labour (new Directions In Cultural Policy Research)

This book focuses on cultural policy in the UK between 1997 and 2010 under the Labour party (or 'New Labour', as it was temporarily rebranded). It is based on interviews with major figures and examines a range of policy areas including the arts, creative industries, copyright, film policy, heritage, urban regeneration and regional policy. This book provides a major contribution to understanding of policy, politics, culture and the arts, via a case study of the UK New Labour government's cultural policies (1997-2010). How distinctive were these policies? Were they a reinvention of social democratic goals or an abandonment of them? Who were the key decision makers and what interests were they pursuing? And what impact did Labour's policies have on the cultural landscape and on society more generally? To answer these questions, Culture, Economy and Politics makes use of extensive interviews with major players, including senior politicians, civil servants and arts administrators. It also draws on a wealth of literature, including previously unexamined documents, and on a wide range of social and political theory. It tells the story of cultural policy at a time of profound social and political change, covering the arts, copyright, heritage, the creative industries, urban regeneration and regional policy. But it also illustrates the problems facing efforts to pursue social justice in the realm of arts and culture, and in public policy, in an era in which economic goals dominate government agendas Front Matter....Pages i-x Culture, Politics and Equality: The Challenge for Social Democracy....Pages 1-35 New Labour, Culture and Creativity....Pages 36-69 The Arts: Access, Excellence and Instrumentalism....Pages 70-101 What Was Creative Industries Policy? Film, Copyright and the Shift to Creative Economy....Pages 102-122 Cultural Policy and the Regions....Pages 123-142 Policy Innovation: Nesta and Creative Partnerships....Pages 143-161 Heritage....Pages 162-183 How Did New Labour Do on Arts and Culture? And What Happened Next?....Pages 184-201 Back Matter....Pages 202-235 It has been claimed that there was a 'golden age' in the UK for the arts and culture from 1997 to 2010, under the leadership of the New Labour government