Thomas Heskia
The Impact of Culture on Social Development
and General Well-Being: Is it quantifiable?
The Audiovisual Sector
as an Example
Approaches to Measure Culture
in Relation to Well-being
• What is being produced (inputs)
– GDP contribution
– Employment
– Industrial classification
• What is being consumed (output)
• What is perceived (outcome)
Approach of happiness research concentrates on the
perceived well-being of individuals.
The World of Television
Television as a central cultural instance in the last decades
Decreasing importance because of media convergence and non linear
services
•
US
Dominance of corporate media
– „Networks“
– Public service Broadcasting as a non competing additional offer
•
Europe
Dual system of private and public service TV
– Tradition of PSB as a democratic institution
– Strong private production
– Co-finances cinema production
The Bipolar Field of Film Production
• Hollywood (MGM, Warner Bros. etc.)
Privately financed
– Worldwide Distribution
– Reciprocal adaption of consumer choices
– Up to 85% market share in Western Europe
• European production
– Small domestic markets, difficult distribution abroad
– production costs do not find recoupment in the market
Dependent on public subsidies
Well-Being Measured on
Actual Consumption (TV)
Possible measurable indicators
• Entertainment
– Violence +/– Comedy
– Drama
• Education
• Information
• Contribution to the political/social discourse
• Cultural distinction (% of local content)
• Cultural diversity (% of „diverse“ content)
• Advertisement (-?) - TWF guideline
Choice as an Indicator for Well-being
Well-being through the availability of choice
Sen‘s capabilty approach
•
•
•
•
Oversupply does not improve well-being
Preselection
Choice for high social impact programmes possible
Role of Public Broadcasting Services (BBC approach)
Cultural socialisation and education as complementary
Public Sector Intervention
• Regulation
– Frequencies (market accessibility, criteria, community
programmes)
– Technical standards
– Advertisement (TWF-Guidelines)
• Public Service Broadcasting
• Public film funding (EUR 2,3 bill. in Europe)
• TV programme funding
European film production
• Small Budgets (1,5 Mio – max. 10 Mio € / feature film)
• Cost disease
• Small domestic markets (1-80 Mio.)
• Small market shares (10%-40%)
• Market barriers make it difficult to cross borders
– Language
– Other cultural factors
– Distribution structures
Film as Cultural
AND (?) Commercial good
• Film as art of ist own („7th art“)
• Contribution to cultural diversity
For that
– Justification for public funding
– Film funding as a permitted state aid under the exception
culturelle
but
– High share of non creative work (on the set,
postproduction, processing laboratories)
– Contribution to regional economic development
European Film Finance
•
•
•
•
Own investment of the producer (often below 10%)
Broadcasters (pre-sales, licenses, subsidies)
Direct subsidies (national, regional, European, cultural funds)
Indirect subsidies through tax incentives
Growing budgets lead to an ever growing share of international
(i.e. inter-European) co-productions
+ advantage of a 2nd home market!
Statistics available by the European Audiovisual obeservatory (COE)
Benefits
• National/Regional Culture/s
• Cultural diversity
• Social benefits
• Economic Impact
Economic Impact of
Film Subsidies
• Regional effects:
– Supposed multiplier
– No inputs deducted
• Employment;
– Sector grows and shrinks with the amount
of public subsidies
Cultural Impact
Selection of projects by
• Juries
• Commissioning editors
• Success driven mechanisms (reference money)
Justifications often not revealed.
• No ordinal measurements
• No cardinal measurements
Script Analysis Approach
• Project selection by evaluating
different aspects of a project
excellent good
Plot
Characters
Dialogues
.....
(overall)
fair
...........
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Script Analysis Approach
transfered
Analogue to general values
excellent good
Artistic value
Entertainment
Social
Political
(overall)
fair
...........
    
    
    
.........
Problems
•
•
•
•
Input oriented approach
Comparability
Has little impact on audience
Little actual consumption?
But: Wider impact than cosumption as there
is often a contribution to the discourse in
society
Combined Measurement
• Evaluation of consumer habits
• Evaluation of consumer satisfaction
• Evaluation of the Public Service broadcasting
services
• Availability and accessibility of high quality
programmes
• Impact of domestic high quality programmes
Strenghtening the democratic institutions
(Frey/Stutzer)