Abstract
In recent years, we have seen large investments in spectacular buildings hosting cultural institutions, with the dual aim of facilitating culture and generating economic growth. This article raises the question of whether the investments have shifted the priorities of cultural policy, and sets out to investigate the effect of the establishment of 52 culture houses in Norwegian municipalities using panel data and a difference-in-difference approach. The results confirm an increased prioritization of the sector in the years following the opening of the culture houses, indicated by a large increase in the municipal expenses for culture. The results further support that there has been a shift in priority, as there seems to be a stronger support for professional arts and a lower support for activities directed toward amateur organizations and children/youth. There are also strong indications of growth in “new” arenas of art and culture, indicated by a significant increase in the number of cinema displays and theater performances, in addition to a significant growth of jobs related to art and entertainment.
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Notes
See Bille and Storm (2021) for a closer description of the sample.
Exchange rate 9.04 NOK 31. December 2014 (source: https://www.valuta-kurser.no/valutakurs-31-desember-2014).
It is mandatory to offer education within music and other arts for children and young people, whether alone or in collaboration with neighboring municipalities. Public libraries is also a mandatory municipal service, with requirements of staff with specialist educational background.
A closer description of the subcategories can be found in Appendix 1.
The entire list of sectors that are included and number of jobs can be found in Appendix 2.
The main part of municipal budgets is determined by this exogenous variable (Lunder, 2016).
Exchange rate of 9.04 NOK on December, 31 2014 (source: https://www.valuta-kurser.no/valutakurs-31-desember-2014).
The list of sectors that are included and number of jobs can be found in Appendix 2.
The culture houses often get funding from the state and the county, but the majority of the investment costs are usually borne by the municipalities themselves. The responsibility of running the culture houses is further the municipalities. On average, the culture houses derive 30–40% of their funding from government sources, according to the Norwegian Ministry of Culture (2013).
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This study was funded by Regionalt forskningsfond Oslofjordfondet, Grant No. 226005.
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Appendices
Appendix 1
231 Activities for children and youth
Initiatives that are mainly oriented to children and youth. This includes children's parks, youth clubs, children's and youth organizations, choirs, school bands, clubs and festivals, and includes both municipal activities and grants to others. Excludes operations and investments in municipal buildings, which are registered on function 386.
370 Library
Expenditure on public libraries and other statutory library activities.
373 Cinema
Municipal cinema activities, grants for film screening.
375 Museums
Grants for museums and collections, and for cultural heritage work. This includes grants to professionals and volunteers, to coastal culture and to local historical publications, to village books and place names, and cultural heritage consultant. Cultural heritage tasks are registered on function 365.
377 Art dissemination
Grants for artistic activities at the professional level, and to the dissemination of such activities. Among others, these include performing arts, music, visual arts, crafts, movies, art museums and art galleries, and culture-based businesses. Grants to cultural houses and arenas are not covered by the function. The procurement of art for municipal art collections and exhibitions, etc. are included. The procurement of art for the decoration of buildings is registered on the relevant building function.
383 Music and cultural schools
Operation of municipal cultural schools
2000–2007
385 Other cultural activities and expenses for cultural buildings (2000–2007)
Grants to organizations, activities, markings, cultural days and events run by- or based on volunteering. These are limited against 231 children and youth and 377 art dissemination.
Cultural consultant/cultural office (functions that mainly work toward the municipality's cultural organizations and cultural initiatives). Administrative functions (Head of Culture, Mercantile positions) are registered at 120. Professional consultants that belong to other cultural functions are registered there (sports, art dissemination, cultural protection, etc.).
Operation (management, operation and maintenance), and investments in municipal buildings. Grants for the operation of- and investments in others cultural buildings. Both buildings for professionals and for volunteers/amateurs are included.
All expenses (management, operation, maintenance and investments) to municipal buildings are entered in function 385, including expenses for municipal cinema, museum and library buildings.
From 2008
385 Other cultural activities and grants to others cultural buildings
Expenditures and income related to municipal cultural activities, including expenses for inventory and equipment used in cultural activities.
-
Grants to organizations, activities, markings, cultural days and events run by- or based on volunteering.
-
Grants for the operation/maintenance of- and investments in others cultural buildings.
-
Cultural consultant/cultural office (functions that mainly work toward the municipality's cultural organizations and cultural initiatives).
Administrative functions (Head of Culture, Mercantile positions) are registered at 120. Professional consultants that belong to other cultural functions are registered there (sports, art dissemination, cultural protection, etc.). Grants for cultural activities aimed at children and young people are registered on function 231 Activities for children and youth.
The function is also limited against function 377 Art dissemination. All expenses for the operation, maintenance and costs of municipal buildings are registered on function 386, including expenses for municipal cinema, museum and library buildings.
386 Municipal Cultural Buildings (new).
-
1.
Expenditures on the operation and maintenance of municipal cultural buildings (with associated technical and outdoor facilities).
This includes salary, etc. to own operating/maintenance personnel, procurement of equipment and equipment for operation and maintenance, and the purchase of maintenance/maintenance services (e.g. caretaker services, snow clearing, cleaning, technical service on facilities, security and supervision, etc.) related to cultural buildings. It also includes the depreciation of buildings.
Operating activities include running operations, cleaning, security, energy and water, drainage and renovation (see table Sect. 4.1.). The difference between maintenance costs and cost/investment expenses is described in Municipal Accounting Standard (F) No. 4. For the distinction between the operating accounts and the investment accounts, see www.gkrs.no.
-
2.
Management expenses related to cultural buildings (administration, insurance of buildings and buildings and taxes and fees related to the buildings) are entered on function 121.
-
3.
Investments in- and cost of cultural buildings.
-
4.
Rental expenses for renting cultural buildings owned by other than the municipality itself or municipal enterprises, i.e. rent from companies or others that are not part of the municipality as a legal entity, cf. Art. 190. Art 190 or Art 290 cannot be used in KOSTRA through internal rent. If the municipality has an internal housing scheme, the actual expenses for operation and maintenance shall be correct.
-
5.
Income related to the rental of premises to external (other than the municipality itself or municipal enterprise).
-
6.
Inventory and equipment associated with the cultural offer are not included here, but are registered on the relevant service.
Appendix 2
Industry | SIC code | No of jobs | |
|---|---|---|---|
Art and entertainment | Jobs 2000 | ||
SIC2002 | 92,310 | Artistic and literary creation and interpretation | 2949 |
92,320 | Operation of arts facilities | 3239 | |
92,340 | Other entertainment activities n.e.c | 593 | |
Sum 2000 | 6781 | ||
Jobs 2014 | |||
SIC2007 | 79,903 | Adventure, event and activities operators | 854 |
85,522 | Art education | 613 | |
85,529 | Other cultural education | 61 | |
90,011 | Performing artists and music entertainment activities | 4115 | |
90,012 | Performing artists and entertainment activities within dramatic art | 3640 | |
90,019 | Performing artists and other entertainment activities | 282 | |
90,020 | Support activities to performing arts | 1975 | |
90,031 | Independent artistic activity within visual art | 2537 | |
90,032 | Independent artistic activity within music | 349 | |
90,033 | Independent artistic activity within dramatic art | 362 | |
90,034 | Independent artistic activity within literature | 2014 | |
90,039 | Other independent artistic activity | 92 | |
90,040 | Operation of arts facilities | 941 | |
93,292 | Leisure establishments | 512 | |
Sum 2014 | 18,347 | ||
Traditional institutions | Jobs 2002 | ||
SIC2002 | 92,510 | Library and archives activities | 3845 |
92,521 | Museums activities | 1524 | |
92,522 | Preservation of historical sites and buildings | 1305 | |
Sum 2002 | 6674 | ||
Jobs 2014 | |||
SIC2007 | 91,011 | Public libraries activities | 2529 |
91,012 | Special and research libraries activities | 792 | |
91,013 | Archive activities | 635 | |
91,021 | Art museums activities | 660 | |
91,022 | Social history museums activities | 2855 | |
91,023 | Natural history museums activities | 351 | |
91,029 | Other museums activities | 38 | |
91,030 | Operation of historical sites and buildings and similar visitor attractions | 775 | |
Sum 2014 | 8635 | ||
Appendix 3
Year | Min | Mean | Max | SD | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Population | Treated | 2000 | 2567.00 | 37,567.31 | 507,467.00 | 77,977.32 |
2014 | 2361.00 | 44,351.83 | 634,463.00 | 96,708.26 | ||
Comparison | 2000 | 256.00 | 6 715.42 | 59,145.00 | 8220.49 | |
2014 | 211.00 | 7 454.15 | 71,900.00 | 9904.79 | ||
Share of population living in urban settlement | Treated | 2000 | 23.35 | 70.16 | 99.39 | 22.96 |
2014 | 29.84 | 74.59 | 99.14 | 20.09 | ||
Comparison | 2000 | 0.00 | 45.00 | 98.10 | 26.93 | |
2014 | 0.00 | 50.20 | 98.77 | 26.80 | ||
Share of population with college or university education | Treated | 2000 | 11.68 | 21.46 | 45.10 | 7.36 |
2014 | 19.78 | 30.44 | 55.10 | 8.53 | ||
Comparison | 2000 | 7.51 | 16.27 | 34.34 | 4.40 | |
2014 | 13.53 | 24.30 | 45.26 | 5.24 | ||
Share of population below age 40 | Treated | 2000 | 48.21 | 54.19 | 59.94 | 3.01 |
2014 | 42.95 | 49.60 | 58.49 | 3.41 | ||
Comparison | 2000 | 30.37 | 52.34 | 66.52 | 4.37 | |
2014 | 34.71 | 46.73 | 60.61 | 4.84 | ||
Employment in percentage of working age population | Treated | 2000 | 61.55 | 69.96 | 76.83 | 3.45 |
2014 | 62.51 | 69.43 | 75.54 | 3.44 | ||
Comparison | 2000 | 54.87 | 69.09 | 139.06 | 5.93 | |
2014 | 56.32 | 68.40 | 81.25 | 4.54 | ||
Share of working age population unemployed | Treated | 2000 | 0.81 | 1.86 | 3.11 | 0.57 |
2014 | 0.47 | 1.81 | 2.92 | 0.59 | ||
Comparison | 2000 | 0.31 | 1.86 | 7.49 | 0.93 | |
2014 | 0.33 | 1.71 | 4.78 | 0.67 | ||
Share of new enterprises (new/existing enterprises) | Treated | 2000 | 5.70 | 11.85 | 21.30 | 3.99 |
2014 | 3.03 | 6.57 | 9.26 | 1.47 | ||
Comparison | 2000 | 2.35 | 8.54 | 18.79 | 2.86 | |
2014 | 1.61 | 5.46 | 10.83 | 1.62 | ||
Number of jobs in service industries in percentage of population | Treated | 2000 | 2.32 | 7.50 | 11.51 | 2.26 |
2014 | 3.31 | 7.73 | 12.92 | 2.16 | ||
Comparison | 2000 | 1.05 | 5.25 | 19.84 | 2.75 | |
2014 | 1.10 | 5.56 | 16.54 | 2.68 | ||
Median income | Treated | 2000 | 159,300.00 | 196,288.50 | 256,900.00 | 23,625.62 |
2014 | 303,700.00 | 359,046.20 | 436,400.00 | 28,840.72 | ||
Comparison | 2000 | 135,300.00 | 182,283.20 | 245,100.00 | 19,776.15 | |
2014 | 269,700.00 | 340,786.90 | 433,700.00 | 27,566.07 | ||
Income distribution (mean/median income) | Treated | 2000 | 1.05 | 1.15 | 1.37 | 0.07 |
2014 | 1.05 | 1.13 | 1.31 | 0.06 | ||
Comparison | 2000 | 1.00 | 1.13 | 1.85 | 0.07 | |
2014 | 1.01 | 1.12 | 1.36 | 0.04 | ||
Share of seats for left-wing parties | Treated | 2000 | 0.11 | 0.36 | 0.65 | 0.13 |
2014 | 0.10 | 0.35 | 0.72 | 0.14 | ||
Comparison | 2000 | 0.00 | 0.37 | 0.85 | 0.14 | |
2014 | 0.00 | 0.37 | 0.85 | 0.14 | ||
Municipal revenue | Treated | 2001 | 19,102.00 | 22,858.44 | 37,863.00 | 3400.03 |
2014 | 42,940.00 | 49,097.12 | 61,591.00 | 3844.50 | ||
Comparison | 2001 | 14,808.00 | 27,360.36 | 64,112.00 | 6932.95 | |
2014 | 43,241.00 | 57,648.09 | 136,209.00 | 11,682.89 |
Appendix 4
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Storm, H.N. From Bilbao to Bodø: how cultural flagships are transforming local cultural life. J Cult Econ 46, 723–746 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10824-021-09436-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10824-021-09436-1