Resources

The 7th ENCATC Cultural Policy Tracker explores the intersection of data, equity, diplomacy, and technology in the cultural sector, offering insights for a more resilient and inclusive future. It highlights key initiatives such as the Asia-Europe Cultural Diplomacy Lab, which fosters international cultural collaboration and emphasizes the importance of cultural diplomacy in addressing global challenges. Valentina Montalto's article urges cultural entities to shift from merely collecting data to strategically using it for better engagement and decision-making. The IETM report on fair pay in the arts discusses advocacy for equitable compensation, while NEMO's conference on AI in museums stresses the need for innovation balanced with ethical standards. Finally, Dimitra Kizlari's article examines cultural policy developments within European institutions, providing a timely analysis in the context of recent elections. These discussions collectively underscore the importance of embracing data, advocating for fair pay, fostering collaboration, and driving technological innovation to strengthen the cultural sector globally.

This issue explores the vibrant and swiftly changing landscape of cultural policy and digital transformation.  The opening article offers a compilation of the most notable international cultural policy reports in 2023, followed by an article on the lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic. “Making the Creative Majority” addresses equitable access and inclusion in creative education in several UK universities,  and “Voluntary Organisations in Rural Areas and their Readiness for Digitalisation” sheds light on the digital transformation challenges faced by cultural associations in rural settings. Finally, “Digital Art and AI: The Speed of Light and Everything Else” provides an expansive overview of the digital era’s impact on artistic creation, with a focus on Asia.

In this issue of the ENCATC Policy Tracker, we explore a variety of compelling and contemporary topics within the cultural policy landscape. The issue includes a contribution on the evidence of how “Participation in Cultural Activities Strengthens Democracy and Social Cohesion”, an article on “Post-covid challenges for European Live Music”, the position paper "Youth for the Future of Cultural Heritage in Europe” written by young volunteers, a focus on synergies between higher education and creative economies in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa entitled “African Hub for Sustainable Creative Economies”, and an exploration of various projects on the power of art in addressing mental health issues among young people.

This fourth edition of the Tracker includes three articles which foreground different aspects of sustainability for the creative and cultural sectors. In the first, it is considered ‘How Culture Contributes to Health and Well-being: Findings from the CultureForHealth EU Preparatory Action’.  ‘Research on Mobility and Culture’ examines the impact of the pandemic on three groups of actors: artists and cultural professionals, hosts providing mobility opportunities, and funders who set the conditions for mobility. Finally, John Ellingsworth’s ‘Exploring Recent Trends in Environmental Sustainability and Cultural Mobility’, a discussion of On The Move’s second edition of the Cultural Mobility Yearbook (March 2023), reflects on the importance of the ‘green transition’ being reflected in practices as well as in visibility.

This third issue focuses on the UNESCO MONDIACULT conference that was held in Mexico in September 2022 and it includes a Policy paper Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development - The Implications for the Cultural Management and Policy Sector.

This second issue is focused on sustainability, and gathers four different articles on topics of sustainable cultural management practice,  policy developments regarding culture and sustainability in Europe,  culture and sustainability from the perspective of cultural observatories and the academia, and the contribution of the cultural and creative sectors to the great global challenge of sustainability and the climate emergency.

In this first issue, a total of five articles are presented. The first two focus on the creative workers and their working conditions, and advocate for the need to put this issue at the center of policy making.  The third article focuses “On the policy potential of intermediary cultural spaces around Covid-19 times”. The last two articles are grouped in the section “Focus: Singapore”, and approach the cultural reality of the Asian country.