Cultural Economy Research Articles

The Sacrificial Economy: The Economic Conditions for the Development of Free Churches in Late Nineteenth‐Century Sweden*

Free church organisations were a vital part of Christian evangelical revivalism in the Nordic countries around the turn of the century in 1900. In this paper, a new piece is added to the puzzle regarding why free churches developed and survived. Against the background of a case study of the Swedish Uppsala Missionary Congregation's cultural economy 1870s–1890s, it is argued that a particular rationality — a sacrificial economy — was an important prerequisite for organisational development. The paper therefore adds a materialist explanatory factor to the organisational development of revivalism in late nineteenth‐century Sweden.

‘If Madonna can … ’: emergence of the female indipop star in the 1990s MTV cultural economy

ABSTRACT As cinema moved from exhibition theatres to cable television in the late-1980s pre-liberal License Raj 1 economy, the competitive music label market in India pushed its executives to look beyond the established modes of music making and selling. This development also collided with the growing cultural demand for new and ‘fresh’ female voices, and innovative audio-visual modes inspired by the MTV consumerism model of the West. Additionally, music videos of international popstars such as Madonna, Michael Jackson, etc. started making waves in India through direct and indirect channels. As a result, the influence of western music video culture led the music industry officials to rope in ‘westernized in style, desi at heart’ female performers to represent the new wave of alternative non-film popular music – collectively popularised by music labels and the media as Hindi Pop or Indipop. Moreover, the cultural impact of American popstar Madonna’s stardom, performativity, and politics also played a critical role in the way the emerging Indipop ‘divas’ projected themselves, both in and outside the diegesis of their music videos, during the 90s MTV boom in India. Engaging with the textual and extratextual world of indipop music videos that belong to the ‘new women’ of the neoliberal-90s – Jasmine Bharucha, Alisha Chinai, Shweta Shetty, etc.—this paper attempts to track and locate the emergence of these ‘non-film’ 2 female voices in the traditional ‘song and dance’ aesthetic substructure of Bombay cinema.

Ecological Construction of China's Music Industry from the Perspective of Cultural Economy

As an important part of culture economy, the Chinese music industry has shown a steady growth trend from the supply side, consumption side, and channel side, but there are still some structural contradictions, weak links and problems. With draw lessons from international advanced experience, this paper considers that the healthy and vigorous development of the music industry of China requires the protection of intellectual property rights, the support of financial and tax policies, the cultivation of professional talents, the forging of the industrial chain, and the encouragement of the "going global" of the music industry. This paper believes that the pursuit of spiritual life by humans is endless, the world music industry has shown great market potential and bright growth prospects.

Creative Hubs and the Cultural Divide: Exploring European Creative Collaborations

Abstract The economies generated within the creative and cultural sectors are playing an increasing role in international competition between territories. Collaborations and synergies between territories can create the right conditions for the overall growth of cultural economies and make the them more attractive and better performing. Building collaborative cultural policies is challenging due to the parties’ differing attitudes, priorities, and resources. In this contribution, we have focused on the funds made available by the Framework Program of the European Commission dedicated to developing cultural and creative sectors. The analysis highlights the characteristics of a network of collaborations between partners of different cities. Our results show non-trivial features linked to the cultural-creative dimensions of cities. Findings unveil complex cultural-creative collaboration dynamics. Results show that effective collaborative policies require carefully balancing diverse attitudes. JEL classification numbers: L82, R58, Z11 Keywords: Creativity, cities network, enabling environment.

СУТЬ І СТРУКТУРА ЕКОНОМІЧНОЇ КУЛЬТУРИ МАЙБУТНІХ ТЕХНІКІВ З ТРАНСПОРТНИХ ТЕХНОЛОГІЙ ТА УПРАВЛІННЯ ПЕРЕВЕЗЕННЯМИ НА АВТОМОБІЛЬНОМУ ТРАНСПОРТІ

The relevance of the article is due to the need to define and substantiate the essence and structure of the economic culture of future technicians in transport technologies and transportation management in road transport, to reveal the content of each component of the structure of economic culture, as well as to determine the key factors that contribute to its formation in the process of professional training of future technicians in transport technologies technologies and management of road transport. The purpose of the article is to determine the essence and structure of the economic culture of future technicians in transport technologies and management of road transport. Methods: the study of scientific sources regarding the interpretation of the essence of the concept "economic culture of the culture of future technicians in transport technologies and management of transportation by road transport" - to formulate one's own views on defining the content of this phenomenon; structural-component analysis - to distinguish the components of the economic culture of future technicians in transport technologies and transportation management by road transport; generalization and systematization - and formulation of conclusions and prospects for further research. Results: the main approaches in scientific sources to the interpretation of the concept of "economic culture of future technicians in transport technologies and management of road transport" were determined; the main components of the structure of economic culture and the components of the formation of the economic culture of future technicians in transport technologies and management of road transport are characterized. Conclusions: the essence of the economic culture of future technicians in transport technologies and transportation management in road transport is an integrative formation of the personality of a specialist, reflecting a system of professionally important qualities, values, knowledge, abilities and skills in planning technologies for the organization of transportation, providing transport and warehouse services, using resource potential for development transport enterprises in market conditions; characterized by a high degree of discipline, responsibility, independence with an awareness of the priorities of economic culture in the performance of professional tasks. The component structure of the economic culture of technicians in transport technologies and transportation management in road transport includes motivational-value, innovative-cognitive, activity-technological, personal-reflexive.

Production and characterization of efficient bioflocculant in high-turbidity drinking water treatment: Identification of flocculation-related genes

Bioflocculants are eco-friendly water treatment agents produced by bioflocculant-producing strains that are valuable in drinking water turbidity removal. The major challenges in the application of bioflocculants include low flocculation efficiency, high production costs, and unclear flocculation-related genes. In this study, Pseudomonas sp. ZC-41 a highly efficient bioflocculant-producing strain, was isolated from activated sludge to produce polysaccharide-based bioflocculant MBF-ZC with 94.12% flocculation efficiency under more economical culture conditions, which can solve the problem of low flocculation efficiency. Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed MBF-ZC contained hydroxyl, carboxyl, and amine groups, crucial for flocculation via adsorption bridging effects as the main flocculation mechanism. The 2393 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the transcriptome of strain ZC-41 were classified into five co-expression modules, and the turquoise module was associated with flocculation efficiency and bioflocculant yield. Nineteen flocculation-related genes were identified by combining functional pathways related to sugars. In addition, response surface methodology was optimized to achieve the efficiency of 93.57% for turbidity removal from high-turbidity water by bioflocculant. The results not only provide a solid theoretical foundation to solve the challenges of bioflocculants, but also enrich strategies for high-turbidity drinking water treatment.

Economic education of preschool children. A pedagogical view of the phenomenon

The article presents the significance of economic education in a person’s life and the need for it from an early age. The stage of development from which education on the basics of economy should start is the preschool age (3-6 years). The age of the ancestors, the initial stage of the child’s consumer socialization, during which its effects and ideas about the world of consumption are shaped. The consumer behavior of preschool children is determined by parents, who can use the purchasing process in the upbringing process. This issue is very relevant, since it constitutes an integral part of each person’s life and it’s also a subject of interest in many fields of social sciences, each of which introduces a different view, hence it’s multidimensional nature. The essence and significance of the process of economic education, including equipping children with knowledge about economics as well as basic ability of its usage in certain life situations were presented based on the research of recent publications collected from the Scopus and Google Scholar databases. The article points out the existence of tools that could be used in the methodology of preschool teacher’s work. The offered examples taken from pedagogic practice could help teachers with implementing methods of efficient economical education in the field of preschool pedagogy. The findings presented in the article point towards the need for economic education of preschool children and show its integral and timeless nature. One of the tasks of economic education in kindergarten is to shape the foundations of economic culture, which emphasizes the relationship between economic education and morality.

Solidarity and Development: The OECD Technical Cooperation Committee in the Cold War

Abstract Since the first “development decade,” the OECD has played a key role in coordinating aid from Western countries to the Global South. Before that first decade, however, wide gaps in development separated its own member countries. Within it, therefore, a Technical Cooperation Committee (TECO) operated to provide knowledge and expertise to “intermediate development” Mediterranean countries. TECO, through a network of experts, concentrated and disseminated data, ideas, and economic policy practices to promote the “modernization” of countries not fully integrated into the international economic system and ruled by dictatorial or otherwise undemocratic regimes. On the one hand, the program concretized intra-European solidarity to spread economic development and prosperity; on the other hand, it allowed a close look at the reality of those countries. Then, beginning in the 1970s, reflecting the change in the prevailing economic culture, TECO incubated the guiding lines for the global public administration reform. This study reconstructs the history of TECO through documentation preserved in the OECD archives in Paris.

Industrial Policy and its Funding at the Frontier of European Integration: Lessons from the Past and Present Challenges

Industrial policy is back on the agenda of policymakers at a global level. In the EU, industrial policy has a very controversial history: it has been not only conditioned by the multilevel competencies shared between the EU and the Member States, by the different national priorities and the varieties of economic cultures, but also by the crucial problem of resources. Based on archival sources and relevant multidisciplinary literature, the paper traces the emergence of European initiatives in industrial policy from the 1960s until the launch of the Europe 2020 strategy (2010). Following this, the role of the Juncker Plan (2014) in promoting EU industrial policy is examined, highlighting the potential contradiction between ambitious goals and limited resources. Subsequently, an analysis is conducted to determine whether the launch of the new EU industrial strategy in 2020, coupled with the adoption of the Next Generation EU, could offer a blueprint for establishing an ambitious EU industrial policy and represent a potential Hamiltonian moment for the Union.

Undoing cultural studies: cultural economy at the Open University (1979–1997)

ABSTRACT This introduction article establishes the territory for the Symposium What Was Cultural Economy? After setting out the reasoning behind the collection and its eight contributions, the introduction describes the terms on which the ‘cultural economy’ concept was launched, within the Open University’s Faculty of Social Sciences, at the end of the 1990s. Noting the collective work involved, I highlight the role of Stuart Hall, and the brand of cultural studies he represents, as a key vector. Hall’s position as totemic public intellectual obscures his work as a teacher, curriculum designer and colleague, channelling the ‘cultural turn’ through this internal academic context. As such, I also stress the OU’s course team model of intellectual production, drawing from recent historiography on workshops as devices for the practice of collective intellectual and cultural work, coupling this to the figure of the ‘vanishing mediator’ as a driver of material and symbolic transformation. I then move to sketch out some of the key interpersonal relations, institutional contexts and intellectual trajectories through which cultural economy was first formulated. In conclusion, I ask what implications this little history might hold for a present-day journal engaged in the workshopping of ideas at increasingly international scale.

Economic and Governance Dimensions of ESG Performance: A Comparative Study in the Developing and European Countries

ABSTRACT: This research delves into the impact of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) metrics on economic practices, focusing on a comparative analysis between developing countries and Europe from 1960 to 2021. It explores how ESG metrics, once peripheral in economic analyses, have become pivotal in shaping economies and societies globally. The study highlights the emerging importance of ESG in understanding economic resilience, societal well-being, and investment priorities, especially in the context of a globalized landscape. Employing a robust mixed-methods approach, the study integrates quantitative and qualitative analyses to examine ESG metrics’ evolving role. Utilizing World Bank data, it encompasses a comprehensive review of 239 regions and nations over a span of six decades. The quantitative component includes descriptive and time series analyses, alongside correlation and regression techniques. Complementing this, a qualitative cultural and economic synthesis provides deeper insight into the data, positioning ESG criteria at the crossroads of financial imperatives, societal obligations, and cultural dynamics. The study uncovers significant correlations between higher Gross Domestic Product (GDP) levels and advanced ESG practices in Europe, indicative of societal values that emphasize sustainability. It reveals varying ESG performances across Western and Eastern European countries compared to developing nations, influenced by distinct cultural economies. The research highlights how regional geopolitical events, cultural norms, and values have shaped diverse trajectories in ESG metrics’ evolution. These findings offer nuanced insights into the complex influences of ESG metrics across different economic, sociopolitical, and cultural landscapes. The study’s outcomes are vital for policymakers and investors, unveiling the intricate nuances and implications of ESG trends. It underscores the need for nuanced policy strategies that consider the unique cultural and economic backgrounds of regions, particularly in developing countries. The research advocates for a cultural-economic perspective in sustainable development, emphasizing the dynamic interplay between society, culture, and economy. The findings suggest that embracing diverse ESG applications can lead to more effective and culturally sensitive approaches to economic development and governance. Conclusively, this research offers a comprehensive cultural-economic perspective on the role of ESG metrics in shaping sustainable development. It serves as a foundational analysis for future studies and policy formulations, aiming to enhance the understanding and application of ESG criteria in diverse economic and cultural settings.

Legal Framework of State Formation in Lithuania: A Historical Comparison Pre- and Post-EU Integration

The accession of new countries to the European Union (EU) in May 2004 marked a qualitatively new stage in the integration processes both in Europe and worldwide. Analysing the positive and negative phenomena accompanying the enlargement of the EU is significant for countries considering or potentially joining the EU in the future. This analysis is crucial when forming long-term economic policies and deciding their integration directions. The experience of the Republic of Lithuania in studying the impact of external political situations on the processes of integration into the European community is seen as illustrative for Ukraine due to shared initial characteristics and historical proximity between the states. The article analyses the features of Lithuania’s integration into the European community. A significant normative and systemic gap between the periods studied in the context of the legislative field is demonstrated. The study aims to analyse the dynamics of the normative-legal framework in developing European integration and state-building processes in Lithuania from 1990 to 2021. The research identifies which countries had the most significant influence on the state-building process in Lithuania after 1990 during the establishment and development of democratisation. Fundamental concepts of state-building in Lithuania during the studied period and the corresponding normative-legal framework of the process are highlighted. It is established that Lithuania’s accession, despite a solid societal push for integration into the Western political and economic culture, had several distinctive features related to constitutional institutions, significantly impacting the resolution of issues between the government and EU institutions.

Social Innovation, Social Enterprises and the Cultural Economy: Cultural and Artistic Social Enterprises in Practice

Social Innovation, Social Enterprises and the Cultural Economy: Cultural and Artistic Social Enterprises in Practice

Creative futures for cultural heritage: a typology of creative practice in the GLAM sector – towards a creative heritage approach

ABSTRACT This article seeks to develop a non-prescriptive typology of creative practice and its role in GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums) institutions through an examination of published research. Highlighting key issues and perspectives on integration and intent in each approach it examines practice through five categories: (1) demonstration; (2) programmed performance; (3) historically informed creativity and performance; (4) institutional preservation of creativity; and, (5) creative heritage. The first four categories subsume creativity as reproduction, in the pursuit of claims to originality or use GLAM spaces as a simple stage or backdrop. Creative heritage, on the other hand, is characterised by the use of creativity as an integrated practice that intentionally produces integrated and authentic outcomes allied to the repertoire and work of GLAM institutions. We conclude with suggestions about how creative innovation offers opportunities for institutions to meet and enhance strategic priorities and overcome challenges to sustainability relative to a wider cultural economy.

“Flat Surface” as Material Metaphor: “Bad” Cover Design, “Good” Storytelling, and Post-Fordist Sensibility in Chinese Web Novels

The article deploys the material metaphor of “flat surface” to read the unexpected cross-modal affinities between amateurish cover design and professional storytelling in Chinese web novels. Canvassing the ways visual and verbal artifacts put into play metaphoric associations with “flat surface,” this essay interprets the popular fascination with flatness as a symptom of China's alignment with ubiquitous computing in its transition to a post-Fordist cultural economy when the world is increasingly conceived as a flat horizon. The author first exhibits a selection of spoof covers and argues that their willful indulgence in two-dimensionality is an antidote to the uncanny similarity of illusionist covers born out of what Mario Carpo calls “mass customization” in the digital era. Then the author turns to examine the web novel Zhuixu 赘婿 (Matrilocal Son-in-Law) by Fennu de Xiangjiao 愤怒的香蕉 (Angry Banana), a highly acclaimed alternate history fiction with a curiously lousy cover, focusing on how Angry Banana's cover designs and narrative storytelling convey the flattening effect. The author attributes the fascination with flatness to the rise of post-Fordism in China's cultural economy by demonstrating how the protagonist in Zhuixu succeeds in flattening “all under heaven” (tianxia 天下) by way of nonhumanizing his existence and weaponizing an internet of things (IoT) while embracing a post-Fordist network of work, life, and governance. Finally, the author furnishes a few more examples to suggest the broader trends toward flatness in Chinese web novels and concludes by discussing the critical edge of the metaphor of flatness in its applicability to post-Fordist cultural analysis.

Backlash, white privilege and anger: Resistance to the equality, diversity and inclusion agenda in the British television industry

This article investigates the manifestation and dissemination of reactionary attitudes and discourses within the British television production community, explicitly and implicitly opposing the equality, diversity and inclusion agenda that has gained prominence in recent years. Utilising anonymous, in-depth qualitative interviews with 14 white, male, able-bodied, neurotypical and heterosexual industry professionals, predominantly from middle- or upper-class backgrounds, working in various production roles around London, the study explores their perspectives on the equality, diversity and inclusion agenda within both the industry and broader society. The research sheds light on pockets within the screen industries where awareness of social and male ‘white privilege’ is lacking. Positioned within the context of increased diversity and inclusion initiatives, the article critically analyses the growing circulation of ‘diversity backlash’ narratives. It aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of resistance to equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives within the industry, advocating for informed challenges to these attitudes. The article explores connections between anti-diversity discourses in the media industry and wider societal discourses on race, gender and identity. By examining links to meritocratic and individualistic narratives around ‘hard work’, individualism and ‘fairness’, the research contributes to the socio-cultural analysis of how equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives are experienced within the screen industries. The study explores diversity fatigue and white privilege framed within the ideology of meritocracy, to investigate the dynamics of resistance and opposition to equality, diversity and inclusion measures. It highlights the need for an understanding of these discourses to successfully embed equality, diversity and inclusion agendas within media institutions and practices, particularly in the face of societal and industry-wide resistance. The research concludes by emphasising the systemic resistance within privileged pockets of the screen industries, calling for a deeper examination of the emergence and circulation of reactionary discourses that may impede the progress of essential equality, diversity and inclusion programmes and activities within the cultural economy.

Dialogue between the concept of the Industrial-Economic Healthcare Complex and the Brazilian Political Economy of Information, Communication and Culture

dialogue between the concept of the Industrial-Economic Healthcare Complex and the Brazilian Political Economy of Information, Communication and Culture

ECONOMICS AND CHILDREN

Giorgi Katamadze E-mail: giorgi.katamadze@bsu.edu.ge Assistant professor, Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University Batumi, Georgia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2602-6861 Lela Tavdgiridze E-mail: lela.tavdgiridze@bsu.edu.ge Professor, Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University Batumi, Georgia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8108-8718 Maia Bolkvadze E-mail: maia.bokvadze@bsu.edu.ge Doctor of Philology, Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University Batumi, Georgia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4041-5871 Abstract. Economic awareness is the primary foundation for the human factor’s participation in the rapid and irreversible processes of the modern world, which should be formed from the very early childhood education. Economic awareness and interest in connected topics began to emerge around the time that the concepts of "economic awareness," "economic culture," "economic education," and so on were first introduced into scientific literature. According to the hypothesis of this study, children can develop economic awareness through the use of children's literature, including fairy tales. In general, the following three components are especially essential when considering the development of economic consciousness among children: Determination of the appropriate age of children; Identification of educational resources; Development of the methodology for forming economic awareness. In this study the theoretical framework for the research was developed based on Georgian and foreign scientific literature, as well as existing studies in the field of education; the research object was defined; and a mixed methodology of socioeconomic and humanities research was used to analyze the fairy tales and reach conclusions relevant to the research objectives. The work is based on research conducted in private and public kindergartens across Georgia, with both educators and children participating. Furthermore, interviews with early education experts at several Georgian higher education institutions were conducted and the research findings provided. Keywords: economics, children, formation of economic awareness, early childhood education, fairytales JEL Classification: A20; A21; I25; I26; P4;

External Debt and Economic Growth in Sierra Leone: A Threshold Analysis

The main focus of this study is to investigate the impact of external debt on economic growth and determine the threshold level of external debt that is favourable for economic growth in Sierra Leone, within the framework of a non-linear model (quadratic function). The study employs the Ordinary Least Squares estimation technique with annual time series data for the period 1980 to 2022. The empirical findings reveal that, lagged GDP, external debt, external debt squared and investment are the main drivers of economic growth in Sierra Leone. Specifically, the result reveals that external debt, investment and lagged GDP have a positive impact on growth whilst, external debt squared has a harmful impact on growth. Furthermore, the study establishes a nonlinear relationship between external debt and economic growth. The result indicates that the optimal threshold level of external debt (as a % of GDP) in Sierra Leone is 115%. The findings reveal that, external debt below the threshold level is growth enhancing. However, the accumulation of external debt beyond the threshold level of 115% is detrimental to growth. The diagnostic result confirms that about 76% of the variation in economic growth is explained by the regressors (independent variables). Also, the granger causality test result suggests a unidirectional causality from external debt to economic growth with no reverse causality, indicating that external debt granger caused economic growth at the 5% level. Based on the findings, the study recommends that, government should develop a robust debt management policy, to keep debt levels within sustainable limits and also cultivate an economic culture of transparency, on the issue of debt management and contract negotiations.

Cultural commodities as cultural economies: realization through conceptual and operational space

The cultural economy framework as a means of realizing the full potential of culture as commodity within the economy of its locale has proven a valuable research approach. The present research extends the links of place, culture, commodity and economy by proposing that in addition to viewing place-based cultural commodities as cumulatively representing the potential of culture overall in the cultural economy of a place, the cultural commodities themselves should be viewed as also constituting their own independent cultural economies. The research focuses on two place-based cultural commodities in rural Japan as cases to illuminate how the diversity of cultural commodities of a locale, in this case expressions of local culture in the form of a craft and a performance, can be fully and meaningfully captured through independent and highly specific representations of their history and current status within the cultural economy framework. The key to fully accommodating the complexity of any cultural commodity is by representing it through a combination of its inherent conceptual and operational spaces, which in combination, constitute its specific cultural economy. The conclusion of the research proposes how such an approach extends the notion and application of the cultural economy framework to one that accounts both for the generalizability of place along with the cumulative reality of place-based cultural commodities while also harnessing the diversity and specificity of place-based commodities independently.