UNIVERSITY NEWS
Does culture matter?
In an age of economic rationalism, culture is coming under intense scrutiny, with many arts organisations needing to be propped up with funding, donations, and grants in order to stay afloat. But is it wise to pour millions of taxpayer dollars into this fuzzy thing called ‘culture’ and can the benefits to society be measured? Macquarie’s Professor David Throsby thinks so.
The notion of ‘value’ is fundamental to economics, but until Throsby began researching the issue 30 years ago, the tools to measure cultural value simply didn’t exist.
By applying standard techniques of economic analysis, however, and adapting psychology tools such as attitudinal surveys and psychometrics to better understand the benefits of culture, and deconstructing cultural value into various elements – aesthetics, spiritual and symbolic meaning, social or historical significance, authenticity, uniqueness, integrity, Throsby developed a set of meaningful measures.
He also approached a large group of Sydneysiders to ask them what proportion of their taxes might they be happy to devote to funding, say, the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Conducted with fellow economist Glenn Withers, the What Price Culture study was the first application of contingent valuation methods to the arts – in other words, the first economic analysis of the community’s willingness to pay for arts and culture.
It revealed that people were generally willing to pay more to enjoy the benefits of the arts than they were currently paying in their taxes, regardless of whether they frequented cultural institutions or not.
“Culture pervades our whole lives,” Throsby says. “The question of Australian identity is a cultural question. The fact that we share certain values is a cultural issue. It would be nice if there was a sharper appreciation of cultural issues.
“We’re now more precise about what we mean by cultural value,” he adds. “We’re better at deconstructing the dimensions of value; we’re using attitudinal studies to measure people’s attitudes to cultural goods. We have made a lot of progress.
“It’s a slow debate, which will probably continue for some time. These issues are not easy.”
Jubilee exhibitions
Macquarie’s art collection includes works by instrumental Australian artists John Brack, John Olsen, Ian Fairweather and Arthur Boyd. To celebrate the Jubilee the University has an exciting calendar of exhibitions planned. AFFINITIES: 7 Museums, 50 objects is on until 25 May and will be followed by 50 Highlights of the Macquarie University Collection from 9 June to 11 July, with both exhibitions featuring some of the University’s most prized artworks.
Find out more from the Macquarie University Art Gallery.