From Access to Participation: Cultural Policy and Civil Renewal

On 27 March 2006, David Lammy launched IPPR’s new publication: From Access to Participation: Cultural Policy and Civil Renewal, by Emily Keaney. This is the culmination of the Culture, Community and Civil Renewal research project, in which NMDC was a partner along with Arts and Business, English Heritage, Heritage Lottery Fund, Nationwide Platform for Art and London Underground. NMDC’s participation in this project was led by Lindsay Sharp, then Director of NMSI. The project was based on a series of seminars in early 2005.

The Culture, Community and Civil Renewal project was a response to government interest in issues of social capital (defined by Putnam as ‘the networks of trust, solidarity and reciprocity that exist in a well functioning community’) and civil renewal (the development of strong, active, empowered communities, in which people are able to do things for themselves, define the problems they face and tackle them in partnership with public bodies). The project explored the ways in which public participation in cultural activities could improve social cohesion, increasing social capital and leading to civil renewal. The project focussed on active community participation through volunteering and through involvement in decision making and governance, rather than passive participation through visiting, relating to a wider government programme to encourage active citizenship.

The IPPR research concluded that active participation in cultural institutions, such as museums, fosters increased trust in fellow citizens and public organisations, resulting in improved social capital, and ultimately civil renewal. This is based on evidence that:

Countries with higher levels of cultural engagement also have higher levels of social and institutional trust.
People who participate in cultural activities are more likely than the average UK citizen to believe that other people are fair, helpful and can be trusted, and to have trust in the police, legal system, politicians and Parliament.

These relationships remain even after controlling for other factors including income and education. However, it is not culture per se, but rather particular kinds of cultural activity that make the difference.

The report examines examples of cultural participation across the sector. The Imperial War Museum North’s volunteer programme is cited as an example of cultural participation providing tangible skills. Living it Up: The Tower Block Story exhibition at the Museum of Liverpool Life is included as an example of cultural participation helping to create positive community identities.

Speaking at the launch, David Lammy described the growing importance of "encounter culture", in which cultural organisations have a unique and important role to play in building opportunities to encounter those from a background different from your own, fostering an encounter culture through empowering individuals and communities.

He said: "Our cultural institutions must stand ready to adapt to the changing circumstances in which they find themselves today. This means confronting the test of moving from a cultural framework that guarantees the right to access to one in which regular and sustained participation is the norm. ... Building this culture of participation will mean a change in mindset. It means ensuring that the framework for our investment supports bottom-up innovation rather than top-down dictation."

Summary of Findings

From Access to Participation: Cultural Policy and Civil Renewal includes proposals for changes in both government institutions and cultural organisations in order to facilitate an increase in active participation in cultural organisations from all sectors of society.

The publication proposes two main goals in moving policy forward:
Embedding the thinking about social capital and civil renewal into the heart of cultural policymaking.
Translating that thinking into practical steps on the ground- in particular, making sure that people from all walks of life participate in all levels in the cultural sector.

IPPR suggests four questions that cultural bodies need to ask themselves:

Has our organisation reviewed how it could contribute to civil renewal? Could we benefit from a strategy to promote social capital and active citizenship? Are we missing opportunities to boost public engagement in civil life?
Should we be developing strategies to promote greater community or amateur involvement in cultural activity? Are we engaging people just as visitors, viewers and listeners or are we encouraging them to become practitioners? Are we maximizing the use of volunteers, supporting them, and making good use of their time?
Are we doing enough to engage the public in the governance of our body? Are we giving them a chance to make their voice heard? Are our governors drawn from beyond the usual suspects? Could we make use of new democratic processes – citizen’s juries, web-based forums – to inform our decisions and make ourselves accountable?
Are we doing enough to promote civil renewal among disadvantaged and marginalised groups? People from socially excluded groups and communities have most to gain from arts and heritage activity, but do we have strategies to engage them in our work and governance?

A summary of the research findings outlining the relevance of the ‘civil renewal’ agenda to cultural policy and the contribution that cultural participation does or could make to civic life is available on the IPPR website at:
www.ippr.org/uploadedFiles/research/projects/Arts_and_Culture/Culture%20briefing.pdf
The speech given by Minister for Culture, David Lammy to launch the report can be read at:
www.culture.gov.uk/global/press_notices/archive_2006/lammy_ippr_speech.htm