21st century is viewed as ‘Era of Culture’, so cultural competitiveness has greatly impact on economic development of the nation. As cultural competitiveness has become valuable over economical capital, the government has set improvement through s...
21st century is viewed as ‘Era of Culture’, so cultural competitiveness has greatly impact on economic development of the nation. As cultural competitiveness has become valuable over economical capital, the government has set improvement through supporting culture and art as a goal of its policy for the national development. Now, the need of cultural economics is on the rise. That is, in the process of achieving the goal, as for supporting culture and art, regard culture and art as one special area and conduct economic research not to focus on consumption and profits of culture and art not only for economical effects but for creativeness, which is true character of culture. Cultural economics plays critical instrumental role in leading the direction of the nation’s supporting policies for culture and art. John Ruskin established theological foundation of cultural economics, who had wanted to overcome differences resulted from applying previous economics which has studied on market economy of capital concentrating on the process of production-consumption-profit to cultural art field.
This study is intended to research on cases of fiscal supporting policies for culture and art abroad using art economic thought of Ruskin based on cultural economics, integrate theory of value of Ruskin into those cases and propose positive alternatives for fiscal supporting policies for culture and art in Korea. For research method, we studied advanced researches of previous cultural economics and understood Ruskin’s position on cultural economics and his art economic thought. We found that theory of value based on art economic thought of Ruskin corresponds the ultimate goal of fiscal supporting policies for culture and art of each country in the aspect of the fact that artists with each unique value should be supported for the public to share good culture and art.
As results of this study, alternative proposals for development of fiscal supporting policies for culture and art based on cultural economic theory of value of Ruskin are as follows. First, expand supporting for artists to enhance activities for creation. Ruskin insisted that creativeness is developed and it brings wealth to the society in the process of acknowledging value of creation activities themselves by artists and developing value. Presently, fiscal supporting policies for culture and art abroad are long-term and not regarding only outcomes but artists. There are also fiscal supporting policies in Korea, but it should expand indirect & direct support for artists and put artist support on a top priority among fiscal supporting policies for culture and art to promote creation activities. Second, the government needs to improve fiscal supporting for culture and art to alleviate imbalance among genres. Fiscal supporting policies for culture and art in Korea put great emphasis on outcomes, so most of them are short-term and support art genres whose outcomes are easily recognized. Funding for the promotion of arts and culture recognizes supporting system and level according to each genre and gives an effort to relieve imbalance adding to operating creation support program in culture and art field. Third, government support for area expansion and distribution for supporting program for culture and art is necessary. Even though cultural voucher program is being operated in Korea, the range of beneficiary is limited so that government support and program planning to increase accessibility and convenience for sharing culture and art. Fourth, the access to culture should be expanded through education support based on culture and art. Nation-level culture and art based education is needed to help people easily access to education or cultural art by establishing the foundation to actively utilize culture and art when studying other areas as well as education to acquire techniques of culture and art. Fifth, the government support to increase demand for art pieces. The policy to encourage purchase of art pieces in Korea is needed. If the government supports to make people easily have chances to own art pieces, it is expected that multiple positive effects such as activation of market economy for art or enhancing artists’desire for creation along with sharing culture and art.
This paper is organized to propose alternatives for development of fiscal supporting policies for culture and art in Korea based on art economic thought of Ruskin which is ideologically fundamental to cultural economic among cultural economic views. We are expected that policies for national development are adopted after detailed researches on fiscal supporting policies for culture and art in the aspect of cultural economic theory of value are being conducted.