Making the Information Society Work for Culture:

National Cultural Policy Objectives and Measures in 8 Countries

AUTHORS

Danielle Cliche, Ritva Mitchell, Andreas Wiesand

PUBLISHER/DATE

ERICarts, 2001

FUNDERS

Council of Europe

ABSTRACT

Making the Information Society Work for Culture was a study undertaken by ERICarts for the Council of Europe in March 2001.   Its main purpose was to collect information that would help those responsible for national and European information society policies to respond to the mandate given by the 2nd Summit of the Heads of the European States and Member Governments of the Council of Europe in 1997 in Strasbourg: "...to develop a European policy for the application of the new information technologies, with a view to ensuring respect for human rights and cultural diversity, fostering freedom of expression and information and maximising the educational and cultural potential of these technologies".

This study presents and analyses the extent to which: the cultural sector is taken into account in national information policy strategies; and how cultural policy frameworks and programmes have taken information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the new media into account.

8 country profiles follow an interpretation of the survey results.   The main questions addressed in the report are:

• When and how did the contemporary concept of the information society appear in your country?
• What have been the main planning documents, programmes and financial schemes for including information society considerations into cultural policy frameworks and programmes?
• What has been the public budget to finance information society programmes and schemes including those within a cultural policy framework?
• To what extent has the planning and financing of the information society become consolidated in your country, especially in the domain of cultural policies?
• How has spending on the information society influenced the public financing of the arts and culture?