Contemporary society is complex; governed and administered by a range of contradictory policies, practices and techniques. Nowhere are these contradictions more keenly felt than in cultural policy. This book uses insights from a range of disciplines to aid the reader in understanding contemporary cultural policy.

Drawing on a range of case studies, including analysis of the reality of work in the creative industries, urban regeneration and current government cultural policy in the UK, the book discusses the idea of value in the cultural sector, showing how value plays out in...

Cultural policy intersects with political, economic, and socio-cultural dynamics at all levels of society, placing high and often contradictory expectations on the capabilities and capacities of the media, the fine, performing, and folk arts, and cultural heritage. These expectations are articulated, mobilised and contested at--and across--a global scale. As a result, the study of cultural policy has firmly established itself as a field that cuts across a range of academic disciplines, including sociology, cultural and media studies, economics, anthropology, area studies, languages,...

Specialists in cultural policy draw on many scholarly literatures and traditions, including but not limited to, media and communication studies, history, sociology, politics, arts management, geography, and cultural studies. Now, this new four-volume collection from Routledge brings together the key texts that form the background, context, and basis for a sophisticated understanding of the topic, materials that have hitherto been scattered throughout a variety of specialist journals and books. Cultural Policy offers advanced students and established researchers alike a comprehensive...