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Art and the Challenge of Markets Volume 1 pp 155–181Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Renegotiating Cultural Welfare: The Adoption of Neoliberal Trends in Finnish Cultural Policy and How It Fits the Nordic Model of a Welfare State

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Part of the book series: Sociology of the Arts ((SOA))

Abstract

The Nordic model refers to an economic regime that combines market economy with “an active state” to guarantee equal possibilities for all parts of society. The same principles have been implemented in the Nordic cultural policies. This chapter examines the reactions of the Nordic cultural policy to the ideological turn in its societal environment around 1990. It is stated here that the system, constructed originally for protecting free artistic expression and equal cultural possibilities, has been in the front line of political market orientation. The orientation is modeled rhetorically after the ideas of cultural pluralism and economic efficiency; in practice, the fight has taken place between different ideological notions of governmental responsibilities.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Links between the valuation of Jean Sibelius and contemporary fields of symphonic music is highlighted by a relatively great number of Finnish composers, conductors, opera singers, and solo instrumentalists in the international field of symphonic music.

  2. 2.

    In cultural life, welfare ideology was, perhaps, best manifested by the domestic and international success of utility art, by companies such as Arabia, Marimekko, and Iittala, which quickly furnished and modernized the homes of average Finnish families.

  3. 3.

    One example of this is the recently renewed funding principle for Finnish universities, in which the private/external donations to universities are rewarded by public money.

  4. 4.

    In 2004, the Danish Minister for Culture announced his idea of a cultural canon and appointed seven canon committees corresponding to the art forms within the purview of the Danish Ministry of Culture. The overall aim was to stimulate a public discussion and further public activities related to the question of national identity and discuss how to improve and estimate the quality of art. Notably, the cultural canon was promulgated alongside the so-called Muhammad cartoon crises in 2006 and Denmark’s joining with the US-led frontier in Iraq.

  5. 5.

    Still, the continuing debate on Guggenheim museum in Helsinki shows that internationally recognized artists are useful for providing artistic substance and credibility to whatever main arguments of primary discussion that might exist, for example, ones that concentrate on how many visitors the investment would attract to Helsinki or how it might affect the national brand of Finland.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geographical and Historical Studies, Joensuu, Finland

    Simo Häyrynen

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  1. Simo Häyrynen
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Creative and Cultural, Entrepreneurship Goldsmiths, University of London, London, UK

    Victoria D. Alexander

  2. University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland

    Samuli Hägg

  3. University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland

    Simo Häyrynen

  4. University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland

    Erkki Sevänen

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Häyrynen, S. (2018). Renegotiating Cultural Welfare: The Adoption of Neoliberal Trends in Finnish Cultural Policy and How It Fits the Nordic Model of a Welfare State. In: Alexander, V., Hägg, S., Häyrynen, S., Sevänen, E. (eds) Art and the Challenge of Markets Volume 1. Sociology of the Arts . Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64586-5_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64586-5_6

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-64585-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-64586-5

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