Consolidating the knowledge base and impact of cultural policy
In 2008 the Department for Cultural, Sport and Youth Policy of the Ministry of Education and Culture launched a project to create a broad set of indicators. The main aims were to define sets of key indicators needed by the Ministry in steering cultural policy and to survey the information needs relating to the chosen indicators. The project was successfully concluded in 2009 and is now in the implementation phase.
The indicators fall into four sets corresponding to those used in the Strategy for Cultural Policy: 1) Consolidating the cultural base, 2) Creative workers, 3) Culture and citizens and 4) Culture and the economy. Each of these broad indicator sets include a number of sub-sets with a total of over 150 individual indicators.
Statistics Finland produces bi-annual Cultural Statistics. They describe production, supply, finances, public support, labour force, education, participation and consumption in diverse fields of art and culture. Other statistical reports and special compilations are also issued on topical themes.
As regards the measurement of the economic impact of culture, a significant step was taken with the development of the cultural satellite account. The pilot project was carried out during 2007 and it is currently in use. It is based on the National System of Accounts (NSA) and therefore benefits from that rigorous framework. Like the NSA, the cultural account is based on standard industrial classification, which, in its turn, is based on classification of economic activities in the European Community (NACE). NACE ensures that the industrial classifications used in the EU member states are the same up to 3-digit level. Thereby, the satellite account enables more comparable information on the economic impact of culture to be produced than any other existing statistical framework.
The main satellite account was extended in 2009 with the development of a regional dimension, which provides information on the output, added value, and employment of cultural sectors by regions of the country.
The Foundation for Cultural Policy Research was established in 2002 on the initiative of the University of Jyväskylä and the Finnish Cultural Foundation. It maintains a research centre known as CUPORE. Cupore produces and disseminates information applicable to cultural policy decision making and the promotes research and expert opinion by way of research projects and training in the field. More information at http://www.cupore.fi/research.php.
The Research Unit of the Arts Council of Finland promotes and carries out research relevant to the formulation and implementation of cultural policy. It publishes research reports and statistics in four publication series and maintains a specialist cultural policy library. More information at http://www.taiteenkeskustoimikunta.fi/default.asp?WCI=wciFrames&strlanguage_id=en&strSub_page=res_org&Intid=2.