The art of the public: cultural economy and cultural policy

This three-part intervention asks what bridges might be built between the broad interdisciplinary tradition of cultural economy, as characterised in the pages of this journal, and cultural policy, as a field of governance. Contributors offer some possible approaches to the urgent problematic of what interventions in the field of culture might be encouraged, not only by the state (or what is left of it) but a wide range of public actors. Mariana Mazzucato draws together various pieces of work that she and colleagues have carried out in relation to arts and media institutions in the UK. She argues that any new economic mission requires more dynamic methods of valuing and supporting these activities as public goods. Justin O'Connor wants to recognise the need to carve off public 'goods' from public 'bads'. He urges greater focus on the issues of infrastructure and the Foundational Economy that were a focal concern of some of the debates surrounding the creation of this journal. Finally, Toby Bennett reflects on the field of cultural economics as a discipline under pressure from changing material circumstances - and asks what kind of dialogical public ‘platform’ cultural economy might offer in response.